Chris Van Hollen: “One thing I hope we can all agree on is that we need to protect our children and grandchildren and future generations.…”

“One thing I hope we can all agree on is that we need to protect our children and grandchildren and future generations. The question is not whether we need to do that. Of course we do. The issue is how. I keep hearing my colleagues come forward and passionately talk about that, but they're absolutely unwilling to take the balanced approach that has been recommended by bipartisan groups. Everyone that's looked at this challenge says we've got to take a combination of tough spending cuts, but we also need some revenue from closing tax loopholes and asking folks at the very top to go back to what they were paying during the Clinton administration--by the way, the last time that we had a balanced budget. {time} 1250 And yet, despite all that talk, they don't want us to close one loophole. In fact, almost every Republican in this House has signed this pledge to Grover Norquist saying they won't cut one tax loophole for the purpose of deficit reduction; that they won't ask folks making $1 million to contribute any more to deficit reduction. In fact, they propose to give them another windfall tax cut. That's the choice they make, and because of that choice, they cut our investment in education for our kids. They cut investments that will strengthen our economy, help build our infrastructure so we can outcompete and outbuild and outeducate the rest of the world. That's what we need to do for the future of our children. I urge everybody to vote against this amendment.…”