John Culberson: “April 25, 2001, is a very important day demonstrating to every American taxpayer who is tired of paying higher taxes the…”

“April 25, 2001, is a very important day demonstrating to every American taxpayer who is tired of paying higher taxes the immense importance and the tremendous achievements of the Republican Congress, the importance of having a Republican President in the White House. I can testify from personal experience having served 14 years in the Texas legislature that the Democrat majority in the legislature did not even permit this important piece of legislation to come to the floor of the Texas House. It is only because of the Republican majority in Congress that today we stand within 10 years of paying off the national debt, that today we have passed through the House and the Senate a significant tax cut that all Americans will see in their paychecks retroactively, whereas the previous President increased taxes retroactively. A Republican President and a Republican Congress will cut our taxes retroactively, which we will see in our paychecks through our withholding. And the Republican Congress has brought forward today for the American people to see firsthand what we as Republicans hold near and dear as a core principle that the Congress should make as an absolute last resort tax increases. Tax increases should only be done as a last resort when it is absolutely necessary and all other options are exhausted. Madam Speaker, that is the core principle at work behind this amendment, that a two-thirds supermajority would be required before the Congress could raise taxes.”