Charles Rangel: “I do not want to get technical about this. I just want to set the record straight, and that is that we all agree that…”

“I do not want to get technical about this. I just want to set the record straight, and that is that we all agree that the alternative minimum tax is an unfair tax on people because it was not planned by the Ways and Means Committee and by the Congress. So, of course, we thought yesterday and we think today that these people, who through inflation were thrown into this category, should be protected. And that is why we were so disappointed that the Republicans, by party line, rejected the Democrats when we were doing the bill in the committee from not being included in the reconciliation bill. Now, we all know that the bill that we passed yesterday on the suspension calendar is not protected like this $56 billion is protected today. As a matter of fact, people should know that it may appear to be a technicality, but the only way that this alternative minimum release bill that we passed yesterday in the suspension calendar is that not one of the 100 Senators over there objects. We need the consent of every Senator to provide the AMT bill with protection. That is not so. If the Republicans were so concerned about these people who got caught into this trap in getting the alternative minimum tax treatment, it would be placed in the reconciliation bill. So I do not think you ought to bring up things when the facts are against you.…”