Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the main sponsor of the bill, Congressman Dold from Illinois. I think it is very thoughtful legislation. Our Olympic athletes have worked and trained tirelessly to represent the greatest country in the world on the world stage. They have won contests in athletics, and they have won our hearts and minds. We know that time spent in training and in competitions requires enormous sacrifices from the athletes and their families. We are proud of our Olympians. I appreciate the spirit of this legislation. We do not want to hit our athletes with a tax bill when they return home. That is a wonderful thank you. That is why I will support this legislation today. I am confident and very happy to support this legislation. It does include the amendment that the sponsor of the bill just mentioned, put forth in the Ways and Means Committee, to limit tax exclusion to those Olympians making less than $1 million a year. Some of these athletes win not only medals but lucrative endorsements. Michael Phelps is worth an estimated $50 million to $60 million. NBA players like Kevin Durant make an estimated $56 million in 1 year. In fact, Forbes reports that the 12 members of the U.S. basketball team earned a collective $257 million in salaries and endorsements over the past year. God bless them.…”