Mr. Blumenauer its come to this. Republicans are poised to pass the largest transfer of wealth in our nations history financed by mortgaging our childrens future with a mountain of increased debt. Whats wrong with this picture . Well, first of all, nobody really knows everything thats in this bill. Its been written over the last few days to satisfy donors and win the final few votes necessary for senate passage. It is not tax reform. Its not even a policy. Its a collection of special interest provision being sold on a false sense of promises. Its decidedly not middleclass tax relief. Its permanent, massive tax reduction for the largest corporations and wealthy individuals. Every independent expert agrees and the American Public understands that the benefits of this bill flow not primarily to the middle class but to people like donald trump. The vast majority of americans get little and temporary tax reduction. Only to see the bottom 80 of our taxpayers on average actually facing a tax increase when the bill is fully phased in. The permanent massive tax reduction for the privileged few comes at a very high cost for the rest of america. Despite false promises, it will not remotely pay for itself through Economic Growth. We start with that massive increase in national debt, increased interest costs will make a total increase of 2. 3 trillion, and very likely even higher as the accountants and the lawyers discover how to fully exploit the many new loopholes created by lobbyists. Its not tax simplification. It greatly complicates the tax code. Just look at trying to understand just the passthrough provisions. And this is an i. R. S. That is struggling right now that my republican friends have cut its 23,000 7 since 2010, fewer people, outmoded data processing, and more taxpayers. 10 million more returns. Its not clear the i. R. S. Can even administer this bill. Middle americans will pay with increased economic insecurity as it will increase insurance premiums an average of 10 a year. It will destabilize the Health Insurance market and will increase the ranks of the uninsured by 13 Million People over the next 10 years. Most americans will pay the price with the massive increase in debt, making it harder for everyone who wants to borrow money to start a business, finance a College Education or buy a home. It increases the likelihood of sending even more american money overseas to pay for the foreign holders of american debt that is increased. It does not increase the address the problem of offshoring or Economic Activities and the resulting revenue loss. It provides more incentives for this to continue and even get worse. And the increased debt will make it even harder to rebuild and renew america and meet the needs of our aging and growing population. Trump pointed out after the wreckage of the amtrak train in the Pacific Northwest the need for Infrastructure Investment to rebuild and renew the country. Thats not going to happen. Its already triggering an automatic 25 billion cut in medicare, and republicans are scrambling to figure out how to avoid that. Were hearing from Republican Leadership that this increased debt is illustrates the need to cut back on programs that meet the needs of average americans and lowincome citizens while were showering increased tax benefits or the wealthy. It on the wealthy. It has been a bonanza for all the accountants, lawyers, lobbyists trying to further enrich the privileged. And in the weeks to come we will find out more special gifts used to nail down the last few votes. I dont know whether the Corker Kickback is true or not, but it leaves the public wondering why the immediate aboutface of the senator from tennessee when nothings changed except there have been a few provisions that add for people like that. No wonder the American Public is opposed. Theyre right and the republicans are wrong. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Mcclintock, for five minutes. Mcclintock mr. Speaker, i opposed the house version of he tax reform bill because the loss of broadbased deductions like state and local deductions would have tax increases in the high tax, high cost state of california. It actually increased the marginal tax rate on high income earners and abolished lifeline deductions such as casualty loss, medical expenses and Student Interest. I urged that we should leave no taxpayer behind. Well, i want to thank chairman braidy the Republican Leadership, and the Conference Committee for heed braidy the Republican Leadership, and the Conference Committee for heeding my concerns. On behalf of california taxpayers, i can now offer my enthusiastic support. The new version leaves the casualty loss, medical expense and Student Interest deductions intact. No family needs to fear being ruined by taxes after a major disaster or illness, and graduates can continue to plan their lives knowing that interest on their Student Loans will not be taxed. The new bill eases the proposed limit on mortgage interest deductions and allows up to 10,000 of state and local taxes to be deducted, all important changes for californians. Most importantly, the lower tax rates in this bill now more than compensate in almost every case for the remaining limits on state and local tax and mortgage interest deductions. Even taxpayers who lose tens of thousands of dollars of deductions will still end up paying lower taxes than they do today. For example, a couple earning 60,000 with a 300,000 home and three adult dependents would have paid 200 more in taxes under the old bill, but under this new version, they will save 340. A couple earning 150,000 with a 750,000 home, thats a highend track home in california, and one child, would have paid 1,200 more in taxes under the old house bill, but under the new bill, that same family will save 720. The business tax provisions are especially important because theyll restore American Workers to an internationally competitive position. According to economists ranging from martin felledsteen to arthur laffer, this will produce trillions in Economic Activity over the next decade. Thats 40,000 per household, including 2 trillion of new tax revenues to all levels of government. Last friday i toured ampack, a local Company Making the active ingredient in several cancer and epilepsy drugs. Their product is then shipped to ireland to make the actual medicine, solely because the Corporate Tax in the United States is 35 and in ireland its just 12. 5 . Their c. E. O. , aslin, told me if they gave their product for free their final medicine could not be competitively manufactured in the United States solely because of our taxes. He expects their local company will grow dramatically because of this tax reform, employing hundreds more families both directly and indirectly as they expand everything from payroll to infrastructure. You see, thats what the marxists just dont understand. Businesses dont pay business taxes. Businesses collect them from just three sources. From consumers, through higher prices, from employees through lower wages and from investors through lower earnings. Usually Pension Plans and i. R. A. s. We have the highest Corporate Tax rate in the industrialized world and commerce and capital simply move around it, leaving our workers behind. Thats one of the reasons we average just 1. 5 Economic Growth under obama, worse than any president since herbert hoover, and we lost an entire decade of prosperity. E marxists tell us its just trickled down economics and its never worked. In fact, its always worked. It worked when Warren Harding did it in the 1920 earks when john f. Kennedy did it in the 1960s, when Ronald Reagan did it in the 1980s and les we forget it, when bill clinton approved the biggest Capital Gains tax cut in american history. Concerns over the deficit are legitimate and must be addressed by spending reforms in the coming year. We must always remember that taxes and debt are driven by just one thing spending. The proof of these policies will manifest itself over the coming year and every american will be able to decide for themselves if this has made them better off. I think thats why the left has pulled out all the stops to defeat it. Their arguments are exactly the same, economically illit rate attacks filled with class envy they made against reagan. When the American People awaken one day to find out it was morning again in america, the left was discredited for a generation. Let history repeat itself beginning today with this vote. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from rhode island, mr. Cicilline, for five minutes. Mr. Cicilline thank you, mr. Speaker. With little help from dr. Seuss, id like to share the story how the grinch stole middle class tax cuts. Every middle class family wanted tax cuts. The grinch didnt like them. He wanted the whole tax code uneven. Now, please dont ask why, no one knows quite the reason. It was his head was screwed on too tight. I think the likely reason of all is his heart or hands were two sizes too small. Whatever his reason, he stood on Christmas Eve planning workers demise. Staring out from his office with a sour grinchy frown, at the workers warm lighted window below in their town. Tomorrow is christmas, its practically here, he said from his office with a terrible sneer. Why for 71 years i put up with it now, i must stop these middle class tax cuts but how . Then he got an idea, an awful idea. The grinch got a terrible, awful idea. I know just what to do, the grinch thought with a pause. With his coat and his hat i look like santa claus. Then he loaded some empty bags on his plane and he took off to cause some mean grinchy pain. While working families dreamed of sweet tax cuts without care, the grinch came to the first little house on a square. This is stop number one, the old grinch claus hiss, and he went to the roof. Then he slipped down the chem knee and he stook his head out of the small fireplace where uhle the Tax Deductions hung in a row. These deductions, he grinned, are the first things to go. Personal exemptions, state and local taxes too ill take almost every deduction away from you. Then he slung to the tax brackets, the Corporate Tax cuts were huge. Why that grinch even took the arctic wildlife refuge. And now with the grinch with his sacks in a net, ill stack the deficit with 1 trillion in debt. Then he heard a small sound, a child soft cry, why are you taking our deductions, grinch, why . You know that grinch was so smart and so slick that he thought up a fib and he thought it up quick. Why, my sweet little to the, the grinch said on a tot, the grinch said, im taking most your deduxes away, to help deductions away, to help me. Well make them more wealthy but it will all trickle down. This fib fooled the child and he patted her head. Then he got her a tax postcard and sent her to bed. He went to the chimney and shoved the deficit up. Health care for 13 million was the last thing he took. Then he slithered away without another look. In their homes he left nothing but debt and despair. While giving out handouts to corporations the grinch didnt care. And one deduction that he extolled was even to small single household. He rode with his load of deductions for dumping, poopoo to the middle class. Theyre just waking up. I know what theyll do. Their mouths will hang open a minute or two. And theyll cry boohoo. He paused, and the grinch put his hand to his ear and he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low and started to grow. He stared down a gast, the grinch popped his eyes and he shook. What he saw was a shocking surprise. Every american, tall and the small, loudly demanding tax cuts for all. We want our deductions and a better deal. Not tax cuts for corporations while you cut meals on wheels. And the grinch with his small hands ice cold in the snow stood puzzling, how could it be so. Am i a fool . Without all those deductions, could this designation be strong . The grinch thought of something he tweeted before. Maybe tax cuts should help more than just corporations. Maybe this christmas i can help the whole nation. Americas middle class is what made it thrive. They need these deductions if they are to survive. Well, we all know how the real story ends. The grinch finds his heart and makes amends. Now, we know this tax bill wont end with such glee because the president and corporate lobbyists control the g. O. P. This christmas families will get coal in their stockings thanks to president trump, the final result will be shocking. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The chair recognizes the gentlelady from indiana, mrs. Brooks, for five minutes. Mrs. Brooks thank you, mr. Speaker. Over the past 31 years our tax code has become broken. As our tax code is currently written, i have been told by many that it fails to support families across the country with the resources they need in order to properly plan for their futures. Our tax code has left those who are struggling to make ends meet behind and that is unacceptable. Today is a historic day because that is all about to change. We have heard you. Today we will vote on comprehensive tax reform. During consideration of h. R. 1, andrew from indianapolis contacted me asking that we craft a tax plan that helps the middle class. The tax cuts and jobs act bill does just that. Thanks to the reduced personal tax rates, this bill provides, the average family of four arning 73,000 will pay 2,000 less in federal taxes. We heard you, andrew. A single mother earning 40,000 will see 1,300 more in her paycheck. Those savings represent the ability for parents to save for opportunities, future education costs for their kids, retirement savings, or unexpected times when an Emergency Fund is needed to cover unplanned costs. I heard loud and clear from a lot of people in the fifth district, students and parents, about the importance of protecting graduate student tuition exemption. To ensure we continue to support hardworking students pursuing their career goals, this bill continues those exemptions. We heard you. Deborah from anderson called my Office Asking that we preserve the mortgage interest deduction. This bill does that. It makes no changes to deductions for current mortgages. Keeps the deduction in place for new mortgages up to 750,000. I heard you, deborah. I was also contacted by a young married couple in my district who said thanks to this bill they have keeps the done the ca and they think they are going to receive a 5,000 tax cut. And theyll use that money to boost their savings so they can buy their first home sooner than they expected. I heard you. Providing our friends, neighbors, colleagues, and loved ones the freedom to pursue their dreams like buying a first home or saving for college is what allows our society to improve and better itself. I encourage my colleagues to also listen to the american eople and to show that we have heard them and support this bill believe it will help provide security for families across the nation and it will help turn their dreams into their new reality. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back her time. The chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from new york, beli provide security for families across the nation and ms. Velazquez, for five minutes. Ms. Velazquez thank you. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise in opposition to this tax scam bill. Not only will it harm working families across the nation, but it will visit another hurricane on puerto rico, an economic hurricane. Today puerto rico is in the grip of a humanitarian crisis. More than 235,000 of its people have already fled the island for the main land. After maria, many of my colleagues from speaker ryan to leader mccarthy, went to puerto rico and promised they will assist the island. Help them recover. Instead what are they doing is finding a way to further drive puerto ricos economy into the ground. Even though it is part of the ited states, remember, since 1898, when military forces invaded puerto rico, this bill treats puerto rico as a foreign jurisdiction. Ff have iing new taxes on levying new taxes on companies there. Lets be clear, Puerto Ricans are american citizens. They fight in our wars. Many of them lay down their lives for our freedoms. Yet this bill continues treating puerto rico differently than the rest of the United States. For decades, decisions made right here in this body hollow out weakened and undermine puerto ricos economy. This tax bill continue that is awful tradition. Undercutting puerto ricos economy once more. All told, this tax provision will cost puerto rico more than 200,000 jobs at exactly the time when the island needs all the help it can get. While this tax scam will hurt puerto rico, it also does nothing to help. While they have talked of it, there is nothing to expand the Child Tax Credit for puerto rico. They eliminated the meager extension of the section 199 and provisions contained in the house version. The speaker of the house and the republican leader went to puerto rico. They looked the people of puerto rico in the eye and made promises to help them. That is how you help puerto rico . What were seeing is that their tax bill will simply crush puerto ricos economy. Mr. Speaker, this bill is morally bankrupt. It harms american citizens everywhere, and it kicks puerto rico when it is down. It must be rejected. I yield back. Vote no. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back her time. The chair recognizes the gentlelady from florida, ms. Roslehtinen, for five minutes. Ms. Roslehtinen thank you so much, mr. Speaker. D im proud to rise today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Jackson Health systems. Jackson Memorial Hospital first opened its doors in south florida a century ago as a 13 bed community hospital. In the years since, jackson has grown to become one of the nations largest and most renowned Public Hospital systems. But throughout the many periods of growth and expansion, celebrate the 100th anniversary of Jackson Health jackson has remained true to its core mission. To build and improve the health of our community by providing the best possible care for miamis residents. Mr. Speaker, by caring for those most in need, Jackson Health systems has created a Solid Foundation that has empowered our families to thrive. Congratulations go to their leader, carlos, and all of the of Jackson Health systems on a century of excellence and care to our community. Thank you for continuing to serve as stewards of jacksons legacy and for continuing to use health care to improve peoples lives and to help shape their bright futures. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to honor Dianne Whitaker as she etires from the Clinton County serving 31 em after years and 31 days. As executive director of the ross library in lock haven, pennsylvania. In the librarys 107 years of s years and 31 days. As executive existence, shes just the seventh director but the longest serving in its history. The Ross Library Board of trustees recently hosted a celebration for miss whitaker. They also revealed the newly named genealogy collection on a plaque in her honor. Over the years shes overseen numerous projeaningts offered Grant Application that is have helped local libraries with much needed funding. She was raised in Clearfield County and holds a bachelors degree in secondary education from lock haven university. She earned a Masters University from clarion university. Shes been a career librarian for more than four decades, working as a childrens coordinator, Branch Librarian and others. She and her husband lives in beach creek. Clinton. Eside in i thank her for all her contributions to ross library and the entire Clinton County library system. The community is a clinton. I better place thanks to her efforts. She plans to visit state and National Parks in retirement which i think is an outstanding lan. Mr. Speaker, for nearly 20 years michael has given his leadership to Oil Creek Township as supervisor chairman. Last week he oversaw his final meeting as supervisor and will retire at the end of the year. Mr. Colbert first served as supervisor in 199 to fill a vacancy but stepped down next year. He would run again in 1999, win the seat, and officially sworn in january of 2000. For nearly 20 years at the helm, he oversaw numerous projects but told the Titusville Herald that his proudest achievement was helping pave the way for walmart to open a store in the township. In his well deserved tirmente, he says he plans to retirement he says he plans to vacation in florida for a few weeks. I thank him for his dedication to Oil Creek Township as chairman. Hes given nearly 20 years of his time and energy to his neighbors and community. For that were grateful. Wish him the best in retirement. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The eaker pro tempore gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Fitzpatrick, for five minutes. Mr. Fitzpatrick the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize the important work that pearl s. Buck international is doing in our community in bucks county. Pearl s. Buck was the first woman to receive both the pulitzer and nobel prize for literature. She spent decades of her life in china, immersing herself in its culture and history. With her remaining time living in bucks county, pennsylvania. The Foundation Continues her work providing opportunities to explore and appreciate other cultures and building better lives for children around the globe. Their work on projects like the backyard gardening project in the philippines, Life Skills Education for children living in vietnamese orphanages, and the clean Drinking Water and sanitation project has increased humanitarian aid for people across the world. This Organization SchoolOutreach Program and High School Leadership program, which equips students committed to making lifelong contributions within the community with effective leadership skills have made a positive and long Lasting Impact in our district. Were so thankful for and stand in full support of the work pearl s. Buck international does in our community and around the globe. Mr. Speaker, this december over 50 students at Benjamin RussElementary School in bucks county were recognized for their completion of the drug abuse resistance education program. This training more commonly known as dare teaches Young Students basic skills for responsible decisionmaking. I would like to thank the officers of the Township Police department for their work with Benjamin Rush and their commitment to educating young citizens in our district. In the case of a growing opioid crisis, it is vital that students learn about the consequences of drug abuse. Mr. Speaker, as an e. M. T. And vice chair of the Bipartisan Heroin Task force, i applaud the efforts of Educational Programs like these and all those who seek to learn from them. Educating the young people in our communities about the potential dangers of drug abuse is absolutely crucial. And it is my hope that they will use the tools that they have learned to lead safer and healthier lives and to become leaders in the Lower Bucks County community. Mr. Speaker, this december ground was broken at the Washington CrossingNational Cemetery for the creation of a new gold star families Memorial Monument. These monuments are erected across this country to recognize u. S. Military members who have laid down their lives and their family members who have suffered alongside of them. Among those present for the groundbreaking was her shall woody hershal woody williams. He was part of the battle of iwo jima. It was the help of him that made this monument possible. These stories including about homeland, sacrifice. A cutout represents a loved one. Mr. Speaker, we can never forget those who paid the ultimate price to secure our freedoms, nor can we forget the families that supported them in their endeavors. We are so proud to have a gold star families Memorial Monument in our district. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back his time. Pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, the chair declares the house 10 00 a. M. Il today. The house will take it up today and likely pass it later today on to the senate, well have live coverage of the house back in on vel cspan. We learn about the tax reform effortos this mornings washington journal. In the house band host through the timing today of exactly when we can expect he votes in the house and na