Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives 12202017 20171221

The things that are happening in their own local communities are about the ability for people. People, whether they have just graduated from high school, whether theyre graduating from a technical school, whether theyre graduating from college or whether theyre looking for the second job or a longer career to be successful in the marketplace in their own area, in their own home. Not having to move somewhere to find a job but in their own community. That is what were trying to do. Were trying to increase wages for every Single Community across this country. My home of dallas, texas has been home to so many people who have moved there as a result of the really unlimited opportunities that we see right now in texas, and that comes because texas has found itself to be the home because so many other places, so many other companies have literally been run out of their states because of high taxes, high taxes that are placed on those companies and the employees to where it makes living and being competitive more difficult. During consideration of this legislation, the senate, a few relatively few small provisions were removed through points of order in the senate under whats called the byrd rule, a parliamentary rule used during reconciliation. The first change was made by the senate under the byrd rule strikes the language that allowed 529 accounts to be used for homeschool expenses. The second change modifies a provision that imposes an excise tax on the Investment Income of certain educational institutions. The change strikes a reference to, and i quote, tuition paying, end of quote, students making the exception to the excise tax available only if the institution has less than 500 students or if 50 or less of the students are located in the United States. A third small change simply strikes the short title. Mr. Speaker, all of these provisions were included in the bill, the underlying bill as it first passed the senate and came to the house and passed. However, at the time that this was done, there were no parliamentary points of order which were raised which were later done. These minor changes, mr. Speaker, will allow us to advance exactly the same discussion that we had on this body, exactly the same discussion we had with the American People, exactly the things that we talked about up in the rules committee and across this country as republicans have talked about the importance of the status o tax bill that we presently have move so Many Companies overseas, move jobs overseas, and is not encouraging American Companies to be competitive because america, when combined with state and local taxes and federal taxes, are among the highest in the world, which means that American Business finds itself in a competitive marketplace, may be a graduate product but on price we are not may be a great product but on price we are not competitive. This bill will achieve the greatness that we need for a people that want and needs. This will make sure that the rising worker, whether theyre brand new in the marketplace, or whether theyre an entrepreneur or a mother or a father out in the marketplace looking for a job will find the ability to be successful. The United States is already the best place in the world to live. Were an incubator for new ideas and Small Business but now were going to be able to celebrate that to make it easier. Were taking the tax code, instead of being the highest tax nation in the world, to be one of the lowest. It is going to mean great things for the American People, the American Worker and most of all for people who believe that we want america to be great again. Mr. Speaker, i reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time is reserved. The gentlelady from new york. Ms. Slaughter good morning, mr. Speaker. It seems like only yesterday we were here, does it not . Mr. Speaker, i thank my colleague for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Slaughter we are five days away from christmas, but it feels like groundhog day. Less than 24 hours ago, the majority stood in the chamber and passed its partisan bill to provide tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires, and one president. Speaker ryan called it a onceinalifetime opportunity, but apparently by a twist of fate hes getting that great opportunity again today, much sooner than i am assume he anticipated, because we are taking the bill up this morning. Maybe because providing tax cuts to the 1 the majority failed to do Due Diligence to properly vet the bill. We found out after it passed that several of the provisions violated the byrd rule in the senate. Now, Everybody Knows about the byrd rule in the senate and i dont understand why. This is not found in the conference. This is the rule that prohibits the senate for considering extraneous matters as part of a reconciliation bill. After passing the house, governing 529 accounts, and exempting certain universities from an excise tax were ruled out of order by the senate parliamentarian. The bill was so rushed that even the title of h. R. 1, tax cuts and jobs act, was found to be a violation. Let me repeat that. The very first words of the bill didnt pass muster with a nonpartisan rule keeper in the senate. Imagine what other errors we have yet to discover. This is a consequence of a process that was nothing short of an abomination. There were zero hearings on this bill. Not a single expert was called in to give his or her experience. It passed only after a series of closed or back room dealings and the republicans i think there were some democrats there , the ne of them signed it conference. The senate was such a sham that the First Agreement happened before the first meeting took place. I know this wont the last time that we will meet to fix this bill. Mark my words, we will make socalled technical fixes because of hasty consideration. Majorities rushing to pass a bill is historically unpopular, clearly deeply flawed and will be forced to clean up its impacts and unintended consequences for many years to come. And i really wish i think we all got a Second Opportunity here, and i would rich that my friends to whom i would grab up all their papers and run for the door and forget about this tax bill altogether, but i know that wish will not come true. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves her time. The gentleman from texas. Mr. Sessions mr. Speaker, thank you very much. I thank the gentlewoman from new york. She has, as the rules committee has, taken a lot of time on this bill. Weve spent hours not only discussing and debating the effects of the bill, what the bills about, why we would do it but most of all her abiding ability to stand up and represent her party in their context and i respect that. Mr. Speaker, at this time id like to yield five minutes to the distinguished gentleman from the rules committee, mr. Byrnes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from alabama is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Byrnes thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you, chairman, for yielding me some time. Ive been listening to my colleagues from the other side of the aisle talk about the 1 , the people at the top of america. Let me tell you who benefits from the status quo of our tax code. Its the 1 . They can afford the lawyers, the accountants, the lobbyists to get them all these special tax treatments that the rest of us dont get. So if you want to do something about the 1 , fix the current tax code. Instead, what our friends on the other side of the aisle keep doing is defending the present tax code because if you dont pass this bill, we have the present tax code, we have the status quo. And the rest of us dont see the benefits from the present tax code. The rest of us need a break. Now, i asked the chair of the house ways and Means Committee when he was before the rules committee the other night three questions that i think is relevant to everybody in america. The first thing i asked him was, will the average individual taxpayers in my district get a tax cut . He said absolutely. And he pulled out a sheet of paper. He says, in fact, in your district, congressman, the average family of four is going to get a tax break of over 2,100 a year. I know in some places in america, 2,100 a year extra in peoples pockets doesnt sound like a lot of money, but in South Alabama, an extra 2,100 in the pockets of hardworking parents that are trying to raise two kids, thats a lot of money. So thats a good thing thats coming out of this bill. I asked him, will it be easier for those individuals to fill out their tax returns . He said absolutely. By making the changes we made in here and taking out some of these special tax breaks we made it easier for everybody to fill out their tax return. Then i asked the third question. I just heard the gentlelady from new york talk about how this benefits big corporations. I dont have big corporations in my district in South Alabama. Ive got mainly Small Businesses. Let me tell you about one. Its called fast time convenient store. Now, we call those in alabama filling stations because you go there and you get gas in your car, in the morning you go get a cup of coffee, get biscuits, you go in there at lunchtime. Also got something there called freds kicking chicken. You get a good thing of Fried Chicken and a soft drink and hes got some barbecue in a trailer across the way. Thats the sort of businesses i got in my district. And i think those businesses are darn important, and so the owner of that business asked me the other day when i was in there. He says, i dont care about the big boys. Are you going to do something that helps me, that helps the businesses like me . And so i asked the chairman of the ways and Means Committee. Are we going to be helping those Small Businesses . Absolutely. They are going to see historic tax cuts, particularly if theyre one of these passthroughs. Historic tax cuts. And, yes, their tax returns will be simpler to fill out. So when i think about it from the standpoint of South Alabama and i dare say my district is not much different from most every other district thats being represented here, i see a threefer. Individuals get a substantial tax cut. More money in their pocket, individuals will have an easier time filling out their returns and these Small Businesses that are the backbone of america, they are getting a real break. Now, i know that our friends on the other side of the aisle think that the government needs to be more involved in the lives of ordinary americans. But you know in order for the government to do that, the government has to have money, and the government doesnt produce anything and it doesnt provide a Single Service so they dont sell anything. So how does the government get money . It takes money. A tax is taking. It takes money from people in the private sector. We on this side of the aisle dont think the government should be so involved in peoples lives in america, and we dont think we should be taking so much money from them through taxes. We believe that that benefits the america we believe that gives control over their open money. Number two, were absolutely convinced and dozens and dozens of economists have told us that this is a major shot in the arm for the american economy. This is also a jobs bill. Because this is going to pump up the american economy, get our economy growing at a faster rate. When we do that, we not only create more jobs, but we create the sort of lift in our economy where we start seeing real wage growth. What we have been missing out there is real wage growth. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from new york. Ms. Slaughter thank you, mr. Speaker. Im pleased to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from washington state, ms. Delbene. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from washington is recognized for three minutes. Ms. Delbene thank you, mr. Speaker. It should come as no surprise today were voting again on a bill that couldnt pass muster because it was cobbled together in a hurry, hidden from the public, and denied any meaningful vetting or debate. Tax reform is hard. Its even harder when you go it alone, cooking up things in back rooms out of the light of day. But the real travesty here is that this bill wont help Everyday Americans in the long term. To call it once in a generation tax reform is an insult to those who came before us. Republicans and democrats who linked arms and through years of partnership and compromise crafted the 1986 bill that House Democrats passed with president reagan. Thats the model we should have followed because the fact is we can all agree that our tax code is out of date and leaves countless families behind. This year the u. S. Department of labor released data showing that there were around six million open jobs unfulfilled across the country. At a time when around 6. 8 million americans are looking for work. I believe congress has a responsibility to the American People to tackle this problem from every possible angle, including tax policy. But the ryanmcconnell plan doesnt just fail to acknoming or address the problems that American Workers are facing today, it cuts peoples legs off from underneath them just when they are trying to get traction. Chairman brady likes to talk about this bill leapfrogging us to the front of the pack, but the truth is this bill doesnt leapfrog us anywhere but backward. This bill does nothing to put educational students in the reach of more americans trying to get ahead in the 21st crepetry economy. And does nothing to moderpize research consecutives that could support new breakthroughs that create the jobs of tomorrow. It explodes the deficit, making it that much hardtory finance desperately needed invest harder finance desperately needed investments in infrastructure. Why are republicans giving away the house to republicans whose c. E. O. s are talking about stock prices not jobs . As a former c. E. O. Myself i know Economic Growth is created by great ideas and great talent, not indiscriminate Corporate Tax cuts at the expense of investments in the people who have always owpord our economy powered our economy. I think it should be about modernizing our code to make us competitive in the 21st century. That means being fiscally responsible, forwardlooking, and envesting families. This bill is a letdown for the American People and we will no doubt be cleaning up this mess years to come. Years to come. Not just today. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Sessions thank you very much. We do recognize we have a difference. We recognize we had a difference at the time we announced we were going to do this bill. We were going to chaping the direction we were going. This change the direction we were going. This was part of the debate that happened during the president ial election where we had an argument, the Democratic Party very clearly said we need to raise taxes every year we see where they are on the floor during budget time to raise spending 1 trillion. Raise taxes 1 trillion. That is more than what they had done under president obama, speaker pelosi, and mr. Reed. Reid. Except what happens when do you that is you kill the economy. You kill the investment in families and in jobs and in Small Business. And the year after we had the massive tax increase, we had g. D. P. Rate of zero. Thats because there was this free justice from uncle sam. Prize to so the economy failed to grow. And then as the economy began to normalize, it uncle sam. Normalized over the next seven years at 1. 2 . Thats what the election was about, mr. Speaker. And since the election what has happened is we have added over one million net new jobs, despite a huge storm summer thar impacted a lot of employment. And our stock market has risen dramatically. Meaning that america wants to be great again, too. And were going to make it together. We do recognize differences. They want a 1 trillion increase in spending. They want a 1 trillion tax increase. And we want to move it the other direction. I reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlelady from new york. Ms. Slaughter im pleased to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from california, ms. Chu. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from california is recognized for one minute. Ms. Chu less than 24 hours after it passed, and already we have to come back to vote on fixes to the republican tax scam. This bill was so needlessly rushed it wasnt even time to proofread. I can only wonder what other mistakes well discover in the coming days, weeks, and months. This was sloppy lawmaking and bad policymaking. In order to give massive tax cuts to corporate interests and the top 1 , republicans have created trillions in new debt that will have to be paid for by you guessed it, the rest of us. Republicans claim that everybodys getting a tax cut. But if you read it, something they clearly didnt do, youll see that 83 of the benefits go to the top 1 . The average savings for the lowest earner is just 60. My own constituents in california can actually expect to pay more in taxes thanks to the capping of the state and local Tax Deduction. Im opposed to this tax scam and i urge my colleagues to vote no. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Sessions mr. Speaker, thank you very much. At this time id like to yield three minutes to a distinguished member of the rules more commit the gentleman from georgia, the gentleman, mr. Woodall. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Woodall mr. Speaker, i very much appreciate that. Mr. Chairman, i appreciate you yielding me the time. I have a great pleasure of serving on the rules committee. Also have the great pleasure of serving on the budget committee. I felt it incumbent to come down and talk about the byrd rule process that goes on in the senate. Its part of the 1974 budget act. It became a custom in the senate during 1985 and 1986, and it was codified and put in the act permanently. To describe what went on in the senate as some sort of proofreading error is just nonsense. Absolute nonsense. Process called reconciliation that allows the congress, the house and senate, to get tough things done. As a part of that process the byrd rule says, what we dont want to do is get involved in extraneous process called issue. We want to stay focused on these issues that are most important to the American People. And so if you try to get outside the lanes of fundamental tax reform, those provisions become veritable. Ll you are were probably as uplifted i am about the conversation you hear about the importance of bipartisanship and collaboration. I wish that that were more true. What we saw yesterday in the United States senate i would ell you is a little bit of the is it true that the senate had the right to prevent parents who homeschool their children from being able to finance that homeschool education through taxes and 529 savings accounts . The senate had that right under the byrd rule. And they exercised it. The democrats did. They went after homeschooling parents and said no tax breaks for you. Ll, they had the right to do it, but to describe that as some sort of proofreading error over here is a mistake. It was intentional to give homeschooling parents that opportunity, and it was intentional when the Senate Democrats stripped it out. Secondarily. It was intentional to put a title on the bill. Jobs and tax cuts. It was intentional. Thats why we came together to focus on this bill. Was because we care about jobs and we care about a 21st century tax system. Was the senate completely within their right to strip the title of the bill . Mr. Speaker, they were. If you believe when the senate cant fund the government, when the senate cant reauthorize chip, when the senate cant reauthorize 702, you go right down the list, if you believe its an important use of the democratic minoritys time on the senate side to strike the title of the bill because it doesnt actually impact deficit reduction, it is within their right. Does it represent the highest and best use of their time . It does not. Does it represent the highest and best of those of us who are here in Public Service together . It does not. I recognize that we have fundamental disagreements about the impact of tax reform and its merits. Mr. Session two additional minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for an additional two minutes. Mr. Woodall i thank my chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity to go great things together. And occasionally i come double put my this floor and heart put my heart into heart into it on the floor, i put my heart into it for hour and hour, day after day in the rules committee. I put my heart into it on the transportation committee. I put my heart into it on the budget committee. Mr. Speaker, you know what . Sometimes i lose. Sometimes i lose. But what makes this process great is we both come down here and do the very best that we can. Lets not describe whats going on here for the American People as some sort of proofreading error, some sort of rush job where folks didnt have time to do it right. That does a disservice, not just to the members of congress, but to the staff that work through these issues with us, side by side, day after day, week after week, month after month. And yes in the case of this bill, year after year. We have a choice with how we spend our days. Spending our days spending our days doing fundamental tax reform. It has been far too loping. We dont call it once in a gep racial because its a rhetorical a , we call it once in generation because there are men and women in this chamber who were not alive the last time we did. Its important and im glad were doing it. The senate has every right to do what the senate did yesterday. By a generation because the senate, minority members who iciesed on their point of order. Insisted on their point of order. We could have september this bill to the president s desk with protections for homeschooling parents who are doing their very best to provide for their kids. My democrat colleagues said no, so this bill will still go to the president s desk, its not going to have those protection. I believe thats a mistake. I hope well come back together and write that wrong. Right that wrong. Mr. Speaker, thank you for your leadership on this issue. Regular order takes some time. Im glad were getting it done. With that i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from new york. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker, let me just give myself 30 sonds to say to my friend from georgia that it wasnt democrats who found that. The parliamentarian in the senate found those errors. They had to be corrected. Lets put the history in the right perspective. Im pleased now to yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, the distinguished Ranking Member of the ways and means subcommittee on tax policy. Mr. Doggett. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Doggett thank you very much. Lets make no mistake about it. Were here this morning solely because of a mistake. This is the blunder rule. And this is not the first big blunder in this bill. And indeed it certainly wont be the last. We will be cleaning up this mess and blunders in this bill all of next year. And the only question is how many people get hurt in the process and how much money is lost to the United States treasury because of the many loopholes in this swiss cheese kind of a bill that they have created. How many loopholes will deny revenue that eventually will come out of the pockets of the middle class. Will come out of the Small Businesses of this country to make up for all these special interest provisions that the lobbyists got added. This is what happens when you run roughshod over the process. When every member of the Trump Administration lacks the intestinal fortitude, courage, to come and answer any questions about this bill. Thats what happened here. Americans need to understand that. Trumps over there tweeting away, hes bragging about all the wonderful things, but is he willing to send one official, even one, to come before any committee of this congress and respond to questions about the many wrongs that are contained in this bill . Of course the answer is absolutely no. What about the businesses that are impacted about this bill . What about the academic experts from all political points of view that can come and respond and help to perfect and avoid errors just like this . They were all left out. Not one minute of examination from any objective source coming in and talking in a hearing process to the committee about this bill. Now, im one of the conferees to adjust the differences between the house and the senate. My, was that a great honor in the new democracy that these republicans are providing for america. In that Conference Committee, the chairman of the Conference Committee refused to entertain a single motion or a single amendment. He told us not to worry. After we adopt this conference report behind closed doors and agree to it, you can look at it. You can read it over the weekend before you vote on it at the beginning of the next week. You just cant change it in any way. You cannot study it in any way. You cannot share it with anybody in any way because were only interested in sharing it with those lobbyists with whom we have special connections and operating in secrecy behind closed doors. And, of course, one of the many sad things about this particular bill is that it lost its name in the senate and in this what were considering this morning. In fact, if you turn to the bill, which is a big old thick stack that i left lying around over here do you have another couple minutes . Ms. Slaughter how about two . Mr. Doggett you see short title, etc. , and it stops. Its nameless at this point. Its a bill that has no name and of course it has no heart. But whats the solution to that . Well, every time donald trump touches a tower, he puts his name in bold letters across it, trump tower. This is the only accomplishment that President Trump can point to this year. Why dont we put his name on this bill . We could call it the donald j. Trump inequality act, because it will do more than any legislation we considered here in recent years to widen the gap between those at the very top and the rest of us. Or we could call it the donald j. Trump windfall bill, because he and his family are going to pocket an immense amount of money. No surprise that they are over there at the white house celebrating all afternoon, because he will walk away and his family with a huge amount of resources personally out of this. Or we could just call it the fat cats get fatter, because one of our colleagues on the republican side whos closest to President Trump perhaps admitted, said quite candidly, i cant go back to my donors if we dont pass this legislation. What a study and wise investment. The Senate Budget Committee Last night pointed out Goldman Sachs contributed 26 billion since 0. They get a 6 billion tax cut. Or pfizer, 15 million. They get a 39 billion tax cut. Yes, this bill is a job creator. It creates more jobs for accountants and tax lawyers than anyone can imagine because theyll be going in there trying to undo some of the things that were done and shape the loopholes a little more favorably for their folks. What we have here is a bill that is compared also with the other issues that we have here. These folks tell us, we just do you have another minute . Ms. Slaughter yes, i do. Mr. Doggett thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for an additional 60 seconds. Mr. Doggett i know how much the gentlewoman caresbout our children and the Childrens Health insurance program. I think of the Family Visiting Program to help young parents. Thats in our committee. I think about the crumbling roads and bridges and the fact we need dollars to invest in them to keep our Transportation System competitive. They agree on all of these measures. They make speeches about them. The only thing is they dont want to put any money into it. They say we cant afford to do that. That will drive up the debt if we dont seal medicare premium money to fund Childrens Health insurance and we use general revenue dollars. The same time that theyre willing to drive the debt up trillions of dollars they refuse to invest in people, invest in our children, and provide them the health care that they deserve. In short, this is a Christmas Gift to those at the very top and especially to the trump family and his billionaire buddies and other real estate mow gulls that gained in the moguls that gained in the conference report. They get the Christmas Gift. The American People, the middle class, they get the gift wrappings and thats it. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Sessions can i ask how much time remains on both sides . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas has 11 1 2 minutes remaining. The gentlelady from new york has 16 1 2 minutes remaining. Mr. Sessions i reserve. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Boyle. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for three minutes. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlelady from new york. You know with the Christmas Season upon us, a favorite tradition in my family every year is to sit around around the television and watch one of our favorite movies its a wonderful life, and like most families, its hard not to get a lump in your throat at the end as George Bailey and his family prove triumphant. But it occurred to me this week in reading the republican tax plan that i guess not eveone roots for George Bailey when watching that movie. There are few people pulng for mr. Potter. Well, here we have a tax plan that is written for and to the benefit of mr. Potter d the rest like him. The wealthiest. 1 . The richest 1 in our country are going to get 83 of the money in th tax plan. And the wealthiest. 1 wll get the mjority of the moneyn this plan. Do you know how much you have to make in order to be in the wealthiest. Inur country . 1 n our country . 5 million or more. So mr. Potter we have in the white house these days is going to be pretty happy, and his familys going to make out. But the working people of pennsylvania and the working people of america are getting stiffed. Income inequality is higher today than at any point in american history. Many americans havent received a pay raise in decades in real terms. And here we have a tax plan that is going to take that existing problem and make it much worse. This is wrong. This is unfair. It does nothing for the hard pressed, hardworking middle class of our country who deserve a pay raise. Lets give them a Christmas Gift. Lets give them the happy ending that they deserve, the hollywoodovie ending. Lets say that the mr. Potters of this country have had it damned good forhe last 20 years and lets help out the George Baileys especially at this christmastime. Lets say no to this tax bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texs. Mr. Sessions reserve our time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from new york. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker, im pleased to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. Schakowsky. The speaker pro tempore the gentledy from illinois is recognized for three minutes. I thank the y gentlewoman for yielding and also for her tremendous leadership. So heres lets talk a little bit about the winners in this in this bill. An i think its interesting to note that if you were if you are general electric, since 1990 to 2017, you have contributed to republican campaigns 20 million over 20 million, and what you get back in tax relief from this egislation is 15 million 16 ly, 16 million billion over the life of this bill let me see if thats right. Yes, its a b. Its billion dollars. If you are microsoft, you have , ntributed over 17 million and you get back 27 billion from this tax bill. This is such a great investment for big corporations who have given money to republican candidates over the years. But if you are not part of the countrys wealthiest 1 , this g. O. P. Tax scam is a really bad deal for you. Its especially bad for americas Senior Citizens. This tax scam raises premiums for those 50 to 64 by 10 , an average of 1,400. And the deficit it creates will require under the law 25 billion in a medicare tax cut next year, next year. Now, we heard the republicans say, oh, were going to get that money back. Uhuh. In this bill there is a 25 billion cut in medicare next year, and thats only the beginning. It gets worse. Republicans arent even hiding the fact that they intend to use this deficit that they eated, 1. 5 trillion, as justification for slashing medicare and medicaid. They said it. They admitted it. Theyre even talking about raising the age of Social Security eligibility in order to give these tax breaks to the rich. Seniors should not have to foot the bill for a tax scam that gives 83 of the benefits to the top 1 . American seniors deserve a better deal, and so do 86 million families who would see a tax increase as a result of this scam. To my republican colleagues, you really do have a Second Chance, because the bill got messed up, mistakes, done so fast, done in secret, its coming back to us today so you have a Second Chance to do the right thing. Please take it. Vote no. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Sessions mr. Speaker, at this time id like to yield three minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from indiana, the chairman of our policy committee. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from indiana is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Speaker, today is an exciting day for the people of indiana. With the passage of President Trumps tax plan, working hoosiers will see more jobs, bigger paychecks and a fairer, simpler tax code. Mr. Messer the scare tactics of my democratic colleagues come from a tired playbook written decades ago. Its old style class warfare politics, tired arguments that are just not true. Proof is in the paycheck, and the truth is that an average indiana family will see tax cuts of between 1,000 and 2,000 under this plan. Let me say that again. Despite the rhetoric, working families will see a tax cut of between 1,000 and 2,000 under todays tax plan. Child tax credits will double to 2,000 per child. The standard federal deduction will double too. We get rid of the unpopular and unfair obama individual mandate tax, obamacare individual mandate tax. So now hoosiers will not be taxed depending on their health care decisions. Job creators will see tax cuts too. Making americas Small Businesses and americas big businesses competitive in the Global Economy and better able to create goodpaying jobs. All of this is good news for indianas working families. With todays tax cuts, help is n the way. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from new york. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker, id yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Slaughter the trump whe house released a National Security strategy report on monday, and it pointed out, and i quote, the National Debt is now over 20 trillion. It presents a grave threat to americas longterm prosperity and by extension our National Security, end quote. So what do we do about that . Were going to add 1. 5 trillion more. The overwhelming majority of expert Analysis Shows that even with growth taken into account this bill will cause the deficit to skyrocket. It isnt just a threat to our Economic Security. According to the white house, it is a grave threat to our National Security as well. E bill in front of us cost 1. 5 trillion and includes permanent tax cuts for corporations but temporary ones for individuals. So who do you think was going to lose those first . Its really very troubling, i think, too, the idea of looking ahead of what we are going to be dealt with. We understand already that next year the cry will be, oh, look at this debt. This is awful. We are going to have to cut spending and entitlements will be the place where the republicans prefer to go. So lets prepare all of our Senior Citizens on socl security and medicare and medicaid. Of course, that also hurts the a. C. A. That theyre going to be on the line next year. Future coppings will be pressured to reject the budget gimmick and extend the tax cuts meaning the true cost of the ll is higher. According to the Nonpartisan Committee for responsible federal budget, the expirations and delays hide potential further costs, which could ultimately increase the cost of the bill to 2. 2 trillion. Im sure that my republican colleagues will argue that growth will prevent the deficit from skyrocketing. But the c. R. F. Reports that even dynamic scoring, the total cost of the bill with budgetary gimmicks would be over 1. 6 trillion, and up to 2 trillion with interest. And that takes growth into account. As a result, you our debt could exceed the size of our economy by 2027. I ask unanimous consent to insert in the committee responsible federal budgets analysis, entitled final tax bill would end up costing 2. 2 trillion, into the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Slaughr thank you. Mr. Speaker, we have urgent spending needs and this bill could keep us from dealingith infrastructure, education, health care, medical research, and of course we have to pay the cost of the military. Make no mistak exploding the deficit to pay for this bill, this veaway to the rich, will come at the eense of all of those priorities. And i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlela reserves her time. The gentleman from texas. Mr. Session id like to yield three minutes to the distinguished member from the rules committee, the gentleman from texas, mr. Burgess. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Burgess i thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, late in june of 2012, like many americans, i anxiously awaited the ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States while they were considering the constitutionality of the individual mandate. Of course we were told during the runup to that law, the Affordable Care act law, that mandate was not a tax. It was, inact, just a requirement that everyone should buy th insurance. Seemed unreasonablender the Commerce Clause that that requirement, in fact, would be cotitutional. And then at the end of june the Supreme Court made the ruling. I was probably right that it was unconstitutional under the mmerce clause, but with some creative work, creative work, the Supreme Court said, you know, its a tax. And the congress has the absolute power to tax. So it can stay in the law. The law stands. So here were today considering tax reform for the first time in 31 years. And since the preme court told the individual ndate is a tax, it is appropriate, it is right, that the individl mandate be part of the discussion today. The house bill when we passed it did not include anything on the individual mdate, but the senate in their wisdom sent it bk to us with the individual mandaterepeal. Make no mistake about it. The house has repealed the individual mandate any number of times over the st several years. The sate has not. So the senate has repeale the individual mandate for the first time. I say lets meet them where they are. Lets pass this bill. Lets repeal the individual mandate. And get on with making America Great again. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from neyork with 7 1 2 minutes remaying. Ms. Slaughter thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, im surprised were back here fixing the bill. I am surprised its so soon because we have been sayi all along we have a long wayo go with this bill f defeat the previous question im going to offer an amendment thatould prohibit any legislation from being considered on the house floor thalimits or repeas the state and local Tax Deduction or repeals the a. Ca. s individual mandate. We know that realing the individual mandateill lead to 3 million fewer amecans with Health Insurance. And will cost premiums to cause premiums to rise by 10 . I know that not givi health re is not much of an issue with the majority of this congress because they have been trying to do that for a long ime. The bill also caps the the bill also caps the state and local Tax Deduction. Hurti taxpayers in my home state of new york, california, other states in thnortheast. All of whom are donor states. My own state sends billion a year to washington. Money that we get back nothing for. But were not going to be able to do tt anymore witht this deduction. What we doinghen is risking revenues ity of the that fund t Public School hospitals ments, and in those states. So lets make things right and defeat the previs question. And i ask unanimous consent to insert the rest of my amendment in the record along with traneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previo question. And i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore without objection. The gentlely reserves her time. The geneman fm texas. Mr. Session mr. Spker, at this time id like to yield three minutes to the distinguished gentleman from illino, the vice subcommittee chairmann taxation for the ways and mean committee, the gentleman, mr. Roskam. The spear pro tempore the gentleman from illinois is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Roskam thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you, chairman sessions. This is such an interesting thing to listen in to our frnds on thother side of theaisle have characterized reason that were here today is because of a blunder in proofreading. Well,ts simply an obtuse the reason that were here argument. There e three criticisms. Ll. One is the name change grief, hardly a proofreading err. This title may be cited as the tax cuts and jobs action. Thats section 11,000a. Thatsot a proofreadingrror. The second critici is theruz amendment, language offered in terms of 529 plans, this was offered on the senate floor. This w not a part of a conference comttee or some lae nigh scheme. This waspenly dated. Our friends on the other side of the aisle the other body chose not to pursue a point of ordeat that time. They chose to do it last night. Its their perfect rogtifment thats not a proofading problem. Nor is the issue ast relates tondowment language. This came out of the Senate Finance committee. But whats interting to me, mr. Speaker, is how filiar our friends on the othe sidof the aisle are with mistakes. Do you remember the 1099 mandate tht came out as a result of obamacare . A huge negative impactn Small Business that they had to work th us and others and the president , predent obama, in order to emedy. Remember the risk corridor changes that were signed into law by president obama . Do you rememb the days by blog posts late on friday afternoon when the adnistration reached the conclusion that the bill wasn knot and they couldnt figure ou a way to move forward. Lets delay it anannounce that ietly. Not to enfce the law itself. But t biggestistakef all was obviously the rollout of the website. Which not to enfce the was a co. Ev our friends on the other side of the aisle cant defe. That said, there is going to be technical correction to this bill ju without questi. I think at we should do is recognize that. Spk to that. Acknowledge th. And not characterize procedural matters as proofreadingrrors. It is not an gument that i find persuasive. And i urge the passage of this measure i yield back. E speaker pro tempore he entlelady fm new york. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker, im minutes yield three to the gentleman from new york, mr. Jeffries. The spker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Jeffries yogi berra once saidit like deja vall over again. Today were back the house floor after this big dramatic celebrationf thi suppedly historic bill a republican tax bill that really is nothing more than a wolf inheeps clothing. s the classicbait and switch. Its a ponzi scheme. The tax ctsre going to be meaningful for wking families and Everyday Americans the tax cuts arent going to be aningful for working milies an Everyday Americans and t tax cuts arent even going to be realized. Its a tax bill designed to benit billionaires and millionaires,wealthy and well off, special interests, corporationsand bionors. Its a shameful abdicion of reonsibility. A dereliction of duty. And an incredible, malicious act of legislative lpractice. So based on this phony fraudulent and fake theory of trickledown economics wheres the any evidence that if has ever worked for the american pele . Onald reag cut taxes for millionaires in miioaires in 1981. We didnt t stng. We got a deficit that exploded. George w. Buscut tax force millionaires and billioires in 21nd 203. We didnt get ro economic owth. We got the worst economy since the great dregs. You this this great experiment, what ppened did they get stro Economic Growth in kansas . No, prisoiots, overcrowded classrooms, and crumbling infrastructure. Trickledown economics what, does it mean for the ddle class . You may get a trickl but youre guaraned to stay down. Th bill is sheful. In your aack on middle class americans. Millions of homs get a tax inease. You will undermine medicare. Dont ask me paul ryan himself made that point. And explode e defic. Ourhiren and grandchire forced to should 1. 5 trillon indebt simply to pay r the lifestyles of the rich and shamess. Shame on you. Vote no against this reckless g. O. P. Tax scam. The speaker pro tempo members are advised to direct their cments to the chair. The ntleman from texas. Mr. Session we reserve. I am through thy speakers. And would clo when the gentlewoman finalizes her time. Ms. Sughter im also prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore t ntlely from new york is recognized for three minutes. Ms. Slaughter thank you. Mr. Eaker, the majity lead is clearly untible responsibly run the house of represeatives. Because reere fixing the bill less than 24 hours aftert was passed its a perfect example of w we need to go back to regular order. Actually holding hearings. Have expert witnesses and testmony, and propely vet bills. Thats prettylemenry, but surely is true. Itespecially for bills of this magnitude that will affect every single citizen in america. All the while t government about to run out of money and we havent eveneen able toeach a budget deal. Thats friday tha the vernment will close if we do t do that. We stl havent funded the Childrens Health thats fday th the Government Insurance Program Provides need health care to more than ne hildren. We havent reauorized the Community Health ceers whh serve more an 25 Million People. We havent renewed the perk loanroam which many lowincome students rely on for their edution. All of thoserograms childr. We havent rethorized the ommunityealth nters pid back on september0. Buhere we wasting valuable ime trying to fix a daster of a bill that the majorypassed just hours ago. Humiliating, and we ife dont do beer, the public is really going to make us payhe pre. Wiuoting an se article that ared this morni in the washington post. Written by the great columni dana milbank, i wont miss his writinfor the world. What he wrote thisorning said, quote, maybe ul ryan is right and all those blue chip economists and the nonparsan analysisy the oint committee on taxation, the congssiona budget offe, and others are g. Be growth will dramatically excee forecasts. And millions will ter the labor force d find work. Was will soar. And the 1. 5 trillion x ll will pay f itself. But if all that doesnt happen, the tmp tax will be blame and so i end the quot there. Reminding you as senator schumer did yesterday ts uld be an anchor around yournkles for rest of your lives. I urge no o vote on the previous question no vote on ohe previous question the rule, and takeis opportuni given us and not foist this on to the american public. Yieldack the balance of my me. The speaker pro tempore the gentlady yields back h time. Mr. Session thank you very much. I want to thank e gentlewoma from new york, t overwhelm for her service to the not oy for he service tthe rules committee but to this body and her party. Mr. Speaker, thbottom line is ill take her up on that. We wil bethat this works becase we oked at what pped whenresidobama, harrynd spear pelos put trillion dollar tax increase on the American People. Th spent 870 billion on a surpl then addedin trillion of debt when they 1 illion of debt en theyorked e de at was for studt loans. Thewe did cash fornkers. Then we did cell phones fol. D it just went on and on and on. W they wantolace the 2 rillion debt deficit on republicans. Well, were tryings recogne that we did look atha happened ecically during the eight years that president obama here. 1. 2 annual g. P. Growth. Whe our trading ptner ound th wrld, germany, japan, india, china all raised their g. D. P. Numbers off owing ecomies. Becausehe avage rate i urope for Corporate Tax 23. 6 , while america was 39 , and stat all across the itedtates raed their tation just like pdent ama encouraged them to do. Torow governmt. Make it more expensive. But what haed is then th Free Enterprise sysm was not competitive. We beganlosing jobs all across the country. We beganosing our competivenessecause of th high taxationate. Thats why wergoing so when you raise taxes a trillion bucks and spending a extra 10rillion overight years, there s a impact. Of urse theres an impact. What were trying tdo is respond ack to he American People who they said last november, inead of gointhat way, why dont we go this way . Wh dont wehe worlds leader . Why beh in e world mpetitivenesfor buness . Why not be first or second . Why not add jobs . Why not do something that plac americansthe middle class of tuntry, in a betterosition . Thatshe call that were ut. Thats what republicans have been trying to do, andare resing with a bill thats going take america itead of being the most expensive t country in the world, were going to make us ang the be. Wereoing toen attctor of jobs, of investment dollars, of oppounity. Thelroblem wh this country, richie neal, whs a mber of congress from maachusetts, spo about it to the rules commiee. Ens of tho ojobshat pay up to 60 in his home state are goi begging right now. Ousands of jobs in this country rig w are going gginbecause we do have problem whe america doesnt want to come andake tse jobs. We cant have peopleho pass ests. We have people say, well, i dont have hese abilities. Well, in dallas, texas, home, have 21 an hour jobs begging from peop who could come ad work. Mr. , what were trying to do is to eourage america and aricans. Lets get to work. Letmake this hn. Lets n blame it on somebody el. Ere arbs available in erica, d we are going to answer the question. Egoing to answerhe bell. Theeplican rty isoing to stand on wt we do rig now, and wereilling tta what comes th way, and ill telyou what comes that way. When yogo from, the highes t Corporate Tax in the wld to wheryou mark yoursel dn where virtually e r of the world is 2, in is cse, 21, we are goi be competitors. Amicans are winners. Americanare the besat entrepreneurism. Theyre the best at being innovative. We are instead of cle sa tang 39 ad making us drain our resources, were going to incent acans to go do it. Mr. Speaker,y staff,on, my tax ma who has spent a lot of time wog with me, isteng to le back in dallas, texas,e thi this is a od deal to make th free enterpre systemich is the greatestystem in the world reoing to fuel i wee going to fund it, were going makework. Mr. Speaker, for that reason we will be willing land on wat happens here. Ma your calendarht ow. Go lookt wher are and watch where were going. For theas i urge my colleagues to support this rule. Is i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Brady mr. Speaker, both the house and now the senate have taken action on legislation reforming americas tax code for the first time in 31 years. Unfortunately, two targeted provisions did not meet senate rules and had to be removed. Today, the process continues to move forward and with this vote it will be the house, the peoples house that officially sends this historic legislation to President Trumps desk. I know the American People are excited. More than that i know they are feeling a sense of relief. Theyre relieved for the first time in years theyre going to see more money in their paychecks that they can keep. Think about that middleincome family of four earning 70,000 per year. These are working families, and the tax cut of more than 2,000 theyll see under this bill. That 2,000 is real money. Its real money these families worked hard to earned, but until now they had to send it to washington. Instead of being able to use it for their own needs, whether thats paying bills, saving for their future, or putting new tires on the car. And think about the relief our job creators and our workers will feel. For so long americans have barely seen any growth in their paychecks. Yet, theyre going to their jobs every day and theyre working harder than ever. With this bill, that hard work is finally going to be rewarded. Were going to see the growth of jobs and paychecks like we havent seen in years. And for our businesses, large and small, no matter if theyre a small startup with just three workers or Large Company with 3,000, theyre finally going to have a tax code that works with them as they grow, innovate, and invest in our communities. Theyre going to see relief from complexity, in high rates, and the feeling they are always having to compete with one hand tied behind their back. For all these americans, all the hardworking men, women, and families who bring life to our communities and to our economy, i think the major source of relief is knowing that starting in the new year, none of us have to accept this broken tax code and the slow Growth Status in america any longer. With the new tax system, we will deliver today, things will change for the better, and they will change immediately. This new tax code will be simple, it will be fair, it will be focused on the needs of the American People, not on Washington Special interests. This new tax code will be modern, it will be competitive, it will create more goodpaying jobs right here in our communities, not drive them overseas. Above all, this new tax code, americas tax code will not belong to the special interests anymore. It will belong to the American People and will help more americans realize their own american dream, whatever that may be. For all americans who struggled and left behind under todays broken tax code, that has to be the biggest leaf of all. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal thank you, mr. Speaker. With that id like to recognize the gentlelady from california, the distinguished leader of the Democratic Party, ms. Pelosi. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from california is recognized for one minute. Ms. Pelosi thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Once again i commend him for o being a champion of middle class families mr. Speaker, the house is not in or. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is correct. The house is not in order. Members of both parties will take their conversations off the floor. The gentlelady from california. Ms. Pelosi thank you, mr. Lewis. I want my colleagues all to hear the esteem which we hold our democratic members of the ways and Means Committee. I thank you. Thank you very much, mr. Neal, for being our Ranking Member for your extraordinary leadership on behalf of americas middle class working families. And that concludes includes millions of veterans. Thank usm today is a very sad day in the history of america because we have on the floor probably the worst bill in recent times to come to the floor. That doesnt mean it doesnt have stiff competition from other legislation the republicans have brought to the floor. But this is the worst. Because so many people are affected in such a negative way, and because trillions of dollars of impact on our economy have been voted upon without any hearing, without any hearing from the people who will be most affected by it. No hearings, no expert, no listening to the American People. Yesterday our republican colleagues stood on this floor and voted for a g. O. P. Tax scam that the American People opposed two to one. Our republican colleagues stood on the floor and cheered, they cheered a bill that will raise taxes on 86 million middle class families. And hand a staggering 83 of its tax cuts to the wealthiest 1 . Families. Shamefully the republicans were shearing against the children cheering against the children as they rob from their future and ransack the middle class to reward the rich. So today the republicans take their victory lap for successfully pillaging the american middle class to benefit the privileged. I come to the floor with stories of men and women of and children that republicans shamefully cheered against yesterday. Yesterday i yesterday i wished the republicans had heard as we did the story of audie, 30 years old, father of a beautiful baby son, and stricken with a. L. S. , 30. From his wheelchair with a strong but wavering voice, he begged congress not to pass this bill. He pleaded with anyone who would listen not to vote for this tax scam that will raise his Health Benefits and condemn medicaid to devastating cuts as the logical next step. Hes been lobbying on capitol hill against this bill for a while. He said yesterday it would do so much damage, it would deprive me of the medicaid i need to stay alive a little longer and see baby carl learn to read and teach him how to play chess and watch him go to first grade. Republicans didnt listen. Said no. And cheered. Yesterday we heard the story and i wish our republican friends could have heard it of laura, ther of kind 11yearold simon. He has a rare disease and cerebral palsy. His mother spoke how their family watches a muppet version of a Christmas Carol and simon sees himself in tiny tim, another kind boy with braces on his legs. Unfortunately, this story as of today does not have the same kind of happy ending as a Christmas Carol but this story is not over. Like tiny tim simon and his family may find their future in danger because of the greed of those with power, the cruelty in the heart of the tax scam. Simons mother said, very soon i could once again be facing a future where i dont know how ill be able to care for my child. This is a thought i simply find too difficult to bear. Since you didnt hear yesterday, ill go on to say what she said. We parents have medically come flex kids understand consequences. We know what we will know what will happen if this tax passes, if our country does not turn from this destructive and immoral path, she says. The republicans didnt listen. They said no. And they cheered. They cheered against simon. Because republicans value the issue of special interest lobbyists over the little lobbyists, the voices of little lobbyists. Sick children standing up for themselves and for their siblings mr. Speaker, the house is not in order. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady will suspend. He house will come to order. The gentlelady may continue. Ms. Pelosi ill repeat because republicans value the wishes of special interest lobbyists rather than the voices of the little lobbyists, Sick Children standing up for themselves and with their siblings. Children standing with their siblings. Yesterday we heard from faith leaders too,. They implored congress to reject this bill that punishes working families and rewards the wealthiest 1 . I repeat, 83 of the benefits go to the top 1 . 86 million americans, working middle class families will have their taxes raised. Sister simone said she wept for the fact that our representatives are not weeping over the damage they are doing to families across america. To honor llenged us our faith in this holy season. To remember those who have the least, not enrich those who are privileged and powerful. They challenged us to heed not only the message of christmas but remember the words of jesus enshrined in the gospel of matthew. Republicans didnt listen. They said no. They cheered. They cheered. They cheered against little simon. They sheared about audie. They cheered against people in need. The g. O. P. Tax scam is a monument cons job. Who got conned . President trump will sign a bill, whenever he signs t. I thought it was supposed to be today but i hear the special interests are weighing in to delay it. President trump will sign a bill that bestrays the promises he made in the campaign. President trump promised to eliminate the carried interest loophole. Yet the republicans wrote a tax scam that not only continue this has trageous loophole, but more loopholes to the wealthy and well connected. President trump promised to stop corporations from shipping jobs overseas. But republicans wrote a tax scam that gives Corporate America even bigger incentives to ship jobs overseas. President trump promised a tax reform focused on the middle class families. Republicans wrote a tax scam that raises taxes on 86 million middle class families in our country. President trump promised he would protect medicare, medicaid, and Social Security. But republicans wrote a tax plan to explode the deficit and use it as an excuse to cut medicare, medicaid. They have made no secret of their plans. They have even said this week to Social Security age. So as the republicans who got conned . Did the people get conned by the promises . Did the president get conned by the republicans . Is he signing a bill that betrays his promises to the American People . Its all about the republicans in congress. They have in their d. N. A. Trickledown economics. Tax breaks for the rich. Tax breaks for corporations. And former speaker even said, if trickle down created jobs, that would be good. If it doesnt, so be it. Thats the free market. So as republicans head to the white house for their victory lap, hopefully they wont trip over the wheelchair of audie and other americans with preexisting conditions. I caution them not to trip over the wheelchair of Simon Hatcher and other children with severe medical needs. They will be in the paths of your victory lap. Dont trip over the sisters and brothers and mothers and fathers who tend to the health and wellbeing of a Sick Children and their siblings. No, im not stopping fighting to prothefpblgt i told them yesterday, but in a public forum, i caution you not to get in the way of a mother and father of a child with special needs and disabilities or extreme medical conditions. They will do anything to protect that child. And they notice what you are oing here. While you are on this victory lap you probably have to put on earphones to block out the pleas of faith leaders the house is not in order. I know republicans want to talk so they dont hear the truth about their bill. But the American People wont forget the false representations you have made. They wont forget how loudly you cheered when you hurt their families. Their children with special needs. Their families struggling to attain some financial stability. And why . These people say to me how could they be so cruel as to put the Health Provision in this bill that would possibly eliminate 13 Million People from the rolls of Health Insurance . How could they do that . Why did they do that . Why . The answer is always the same. To give them room to give tax breaks to the wealthiest people in our country. And to Corporate America. Npaid for permanently. I understand the man from massachusetts will show his credit card today. This holiday they are talking about giving people a christmas present. The president said he was there to help. Joe will be delivering the champagne to their party. Thats how this is. This isnt about anything better for working class families. This is about champagne glasses clippinging in wealthy families across the country clinking in wealthy families across the country. Dont berudge them their success, wealth, or achievement. I dont want to see it at the exploitation of americas working families. Shape on you for voting for this outrageous theft from the american middle class. Once again i urge my colleagues to do the right thing in this peoples house and vote no on behalf of the American People. With that i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore members are reminded to direct their remarks to the chair. The chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. Mr. Brady mr. Speaker, yames. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Brady so we hear a lot of false claims these days. By opponents of tax reform. We hear that this isnt relief for the middle class. That people see their taxes increase. But the tax policy center, the most liberal Economic Group there is, just grudgingly admitted yesterday that 90 of americans will see real tax cuts in this tax cuts and jobs act. In fact, the only one that is 1 . Are the 1 of. 1 who could. We heard tonight, we hear today about betrayal. Lets talk about that. This tax reform bill doubles the Child Tax Credit and expands it to nearly four times as many americans. Helping them with the expensive costs of childcare. Democrats oppose helping our parents raise their children. Thats betrayal. In this tax reform bill, we increase the amount of medical expenses americans can write off. Medical expenses driven up by obamacare. Democrats oppose helping families write off these costs. Thats betrayal. The e were expanding number of americans in how much they can give to charity to our churches, to their causes. Democrats oppose helping people give to the community and back the causes they believe in. Thats betrayal. In this bill we for the first time allow families who are saving for their kids future to be able to use that and transfer t to the new able account, because their child has special needs. And may need help throughout their life. Democrats oppose letting families save for because their child has special needs. And may their disabled childrens future. Thats betrayal. Then we hear over and over again how some stand for Small Business, or main street businesses, republicans for the First Time Ever provide a 20 deduction for main street and Small Businesses across america. Democrats oppose helping our main street businesses. Thats betrayal. For too long we watched our jobs move overseas this tax cut bill brings those jobs back, it allows our companies when they compete and win around the world to bring those dollars back to be rensted in our communities and jobs and manufacturing and research. Democrats oppose bringing jobs back to america and bringing those dollars back to be invested in our community. Mr. Speaker, thats betrayal. At the end of the day, we have a choice. Do we give back to families and parents and Small Businesses and to america the hope and opportunity of a new economy driven by whats important to them, not whats important to special interests in washington, d. C. Thats what this bill is all about. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. The gentleman is recognized. Stop the nonsense that youre doing this for the middle class. In the 20 hours that have elapsed since we last had this debate, we were promised a number of things. The only thing they left out was that this tax bill was going to stem the tides, take us to mars tomorrow, and the Cleveland Browns were going to win the super bowl. The certainty of what theyre telling us. The stock market goes up, they did it. Stock market has been going up since march of 2009. They talk about Economic Growth, Economic Growth has proceeded for 88 straight months. Mr. Neal and they keep tells us the rocket is about to bauverage because of this tax bill. Reporters outside are starting to ask, are you going to help them out if all these things dont occur the way they say theyre going to occur. I say, after the appropriate period of review. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Brady i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Neal i yield to the democratic whip, mr. Hoyer. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Hoyer the other thing that the chairman did not say is, after your last round of tax cuts we had the deepest recession anybody in this body has experienced. Starting in december 2007 when you had the presidency, the house, and the senate. Youre at it again. Mr. Speaker, i rise in sadness and disappointment that the house passed such an irresponsible, dangerous, and debt exploding legislation yesterday. We should be better than this. We should be more responsible than this. This bill gives 83 of its benefits to just 1 of the richest americans. Why didnt we have it reversed and give 83 to the people you talk about, mr. Chairman . It kicks 13 Million People off their Health Insurance coverage an raises the deficit by 1. 5 trillion. There can be little doubt that the Majority Party is fixated on cutting taxes for the richest in our country. Defeat this bill. Do right by the American People. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady i yield myself up one minute. Lets talk deficit. Our democratic opponents just hate the thought wed give americans back. In 2009 when president obama lifted the National Debt by 1. 6 trillion, more than this tax bill they cheered. The next year, when president obama raised the National Debt by almost 2 trillion in one year, they cheered. In three more times, president obama and democrats raised our National Debt more than 1 trillion every year. And now, now they oppose it. Why . Because that was about washington spending your money. This is about giving it back to the American People. And now suddenly you object. Mr. Hoyer will my friend yield . Mr. Brady not at this time. You have plenty of spokesmen. Mr. Hoyer youre the one to make the point, im prepared to debate it. Mr. Brady so 2 trillion of deficit in one year. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Neal i yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from michigan, the longest serving member of the ways and Means Committee, mr. Levin. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Levin mr. Chairman if youll listen, this bill is trickle down at its worst. Except for the very wealthy, its at best a trickle and for millions not even that. And for the economy at large a discredited theory. It is a deficit time bomb. The speaker said to the middle class, dont worry, the expiring tax cuts will surely be extended. That means the real deficit from this bill is 2k4rrs. 5 trillion. A is 2. 5 trillion. A tremendous deficit wrapped in your hypocrisy, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore members are continued to be reminded they should address their remarks to the chair. The gentleman from texas recognized. Mr. Brady i yield one minute to the gentleman from kentucky, mr. Barr. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Barr i rise to applaud the great work of my good friend from texas, mr. Brady, for his good work to overhaul americas tack code to deliver historic tax relief for workers, families, and job creators. I resent the rhetoric who talk about this as hurting disabled families. Im the brother of a disabled sister. Im voting there this bill because it helps families with loved ones with disabilities like expanding the able act. But chairman brady i want to thank you for working with me and others to address the provision in the tax cuts and jobs act which would negatively impact work study colleges such as barrea college in my dict you fulfilled your commitment to fix this so their endowment would be exempt from the excise tax. Regrettably, last night, Senate Democrats used procedural rules to insist that this exemption be stripped out of the final conference report. Its unfortunate that they put partisan politics ahead of ensuring that studentsmark of whom are low income and First Generation College students and workstudy college, would continue to be able to receive tuitionfree educations. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is yielded an additional 30 seconds. Mr. Barr these are First Generation College students who receive tuition free education. I know you share my commitment to ensure that Barea College and other colleges have this exemption. I ask if for to be addressed. Mr. Brady youre correct, Senate Democrats took this out out. I commit to working with you to find a permanent solution to this problem as soon as possible. Mr. Barr thank you for your leadership, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from texas reserves, the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Neal id like to yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from georgia, an extraordinary man, our friend, congressman lewis. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. Mr. Lewis mr. Speaker, yesterday taxpayers stood up, spoke out against republicans lining the pockets of their donors by any means necessary. Did you hear their cries . Can you feel their pain . You did not, mr. Speaker. You chose to turn a deaf ear. And a blind eye to their hopes and their dreams. This bill is a shame and a disgrace. I urge each of you to be on the side of the people, on the side of history, and vote against this bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired this gentleman from texas. The gentleman from texas reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal i yield 30 seconds to a valued member of the ways and Means Committee, Ranking Member of the tax policy subcommittee, mr. Doggett for 30 seconds. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. Mr. Doggett because of republican blunders, hardly the first blunder, many more blunders that will need correcting from this trurped up, partisan bill. If President Trump blunders into signing it today it will trigger 25 billion in medicare cuts. This sad bill. Its left without any name. Like other towers, this towering monotrossity should be called trump. The trump inequality act. The trump family enrichment act or perhaps just call it the whopper because it is a lie wrapped in lies and the truth will eventually catch up with these lies. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from texas. The gentleman from texas reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal with that id like to yield 30 seconds, mr. Speaker, to the gentleman from california, a vietnam veteran and distinguished members of the ways and Means Committee, mr. Thompson. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. Mr. Thompson the one of the most important bills any of us will ever vote on. No hearings, no expert witnesses, now we get 30 seconds on the floor to debate it. So let me just use my 30 seconds by saying, this is a bad bill for working families, its going to cause middle class working families to pay more in taxes and its going to strap our citizens with 2. 3 trillion more of National Debt. I ask for a no vote. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal id like to yield one minute to the gentleman if new york, the chairman of the Democratic Caucus a valued member of the ways and Means Committee, mr. Crowley. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognize for one minute. Mr. Crowley a revote within less than 24 hours of original passage this proves this bill is rotten to its core. But heres what the republicans are going to fix. They didnt fix the fact that that bill wont provide Economic Security to hard working families, they didnt fix the fact that this bill will subsidize mansioners in wealthy. Not renters or firsttime home buyers rm they didnt fix the fact that they didnt fix the fact that it wont help families cey for education or retirement. They didnt fix the fact that it will saddle our grandchildren with 2 trillion of debt. This bill is not an investment in hardworking men and women or americans. In fact, it rips health care from 13 million americans. Its an investment in the g. O. P. s base, corporate special interests, the wealthiest of the wealthiest and the trump entire empire. This bill is a political calculation they think will get them a win on election day. But bewhat but be washed, americans are fed up and fired up. They know their cronies are laughing autoway to the back back but the American People are organizing for november. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts is ecognized. The gentleman from texas reserves, the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal let me recognize the gentleman from illinois a champion of any and all things chicago, mr. Davis. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. Mr. Davis thank you, mr. Speaker. When you think of robin hood in reverse, take from the poor and give to the rich, or when you take away social net programs, you take away medicare and medicaid, it reminds me of Marie Antoinette when the people had no bread and she said, let them eat cake. I was opposed to this before it was released. Opposed yesterday. Opposed tomorrow. Will be opposed next week. Its no good for the American People. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from texas reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal might i inquire how much time is remaining. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts has 3 1 2 minutes remaining. The gentleman from texas has one minute remaining. Mr. Neal im prepared to close on this side. I yield myself the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for 3 1 2 minutes. Mr. Neal so in one month we have taken the entire revenue system of the United States without hearing from one expert witness, without having had one public hearing, without using any precedent and changed the entire tax system of the country, tilting it clearly to the people at the very top. And when they say, as they certainly will, weve been doing hearings for five year well, never had one hearing on this legislation. Not one. We did not see testimony from one witness in the Conference Committee. We got to offer Opening Statements with no amendments. There was no chance for any input on our side. More than anything else, this is a missed opportunity. This is a missed chance to take a system we all know to have fallen in to come pet ty failure across the globe. Instead they desaied to go it alone. So heres the way you want to think of this, for those of you who are following this debate. They are borrowing 2. 3 trillion for the purpose of cutting the to tax bracket from 39. 6 37 and calling that middle class tax relief. They are tubbling the exemption on the estate doubling the exception on the estate tax to 22 million and calling that middle class tax relief. They are eliminating the alternative minimum tax for people at the very top and calling it middle class tax elief. By the 10th year of this tax benefit 83 of the people at the very top of our economic system. That is not in dispute. They say things like, in five years were going to correct this measure. Then they talked about the idea that somehow this was about simplestity. When you get into the phase ins and phase outs, you are that is not in dispute. They say things like, in going o pass out from trying to read this tax proposal. The complexity they add to the system is unparalleled. All to secure a tax cut for people at the top. So here were in the holiday season, and they are telling us, by the way, that if we just borrow this money, that everythings going to be fine. What did they say about borrowing when bill clinton was president . What did they say about borrowing when barack obama was president . They lecture us day in and day out in an unyielding manner, even though the Economic Performance of clinton and obama outweighed the two republican between. S in so heres the game plan for the holiday season. On o your credit card, you know what the holiday hangover is . People go out and use their credit cards and figure out all year how to pay for it. Its going to take you more than 10 years to pay for this on the spurious notion that they guarantee Economic Growth, as the president said by the way, will exceed 6 . 6 . They are telling us that the stock markets gone up because of them. Even though its gone up since march of 2009. They are telling us now that this is going to spur unparalleled Economic Growth, even though the economys been growing for 88 straight months. All on the credit card for the American People. Mr. Speaker, this is the worst piece of legislation thats come from the house in the 29 years i have served here. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from massachusetts time has expired. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Speaker, yield myself the remaining balance of the time. I say to my democratic colleagues. Worst bill in 29 years with obamacare, dont sell yourself short. So, today we have a choice to make. We so, can either stick with statu quo, we just heard it. We can take bold action to overhaul this broken code and restore hope and opportunity and prosperity to americans. Our choice is clear and we have made ours. We will vote to send this bill to President Trumps desk to get real tax reform done for the American People for the first time in 31 years. We will deliver for the American People. I encourage my colleagues to join in support of this cspans washington journal, live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. And molly a professor reynolds on the legislative and political significance of the 115th congress so far. Michael sergeant looks at u. S. Infrastructure policy and spending following this weeks amtrak derailment. Liven washington journal beginning at 7 00 a. M. Eastern this morning. Join the discussion. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell and Senate Intelligence vice chair mark warner will sit down with axial cofounder mike allen. They are expected to talk about the passage of the tax bill and the ongoing russia investigation. Live coverage begins at 8 00 a. M. On cspan 2. Next, gary cohn talks about the passage of the tax bill and the president s economic agenda for 2018. This event was hosted by axios. Os. Hosted by axios. [applause] thank you so much for coming in. Ask es, we were just saying axios, we were just saying, when you were in the private sector, hugh had a rule about meetings. Gary i have rules about every things. Everything. I said, in the private