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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 108 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 149 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2003 No. 84 House of Representatives The House met at 10:30 a.m. and was THE CHILD TAX CREDIT did not know if the House would act on called to order by the Speaker pro tem- Ms. DELAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to the other body’s bill. As if that were pore (Mr. BOOZMAN). again discuss an issue of great concern not bad enough, the Chair of the Re- f to American families. I am talking publican Study Committee said in this about extending the child tax credit to morning’s Congress Daily, if the House DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO families that need it most. is going to take up this legislation that TEMPORE A few weeks ago, this body passed a the Republicans should get something The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- $350 billion tax cut bill that gave every in exchange. fore the House the following commu- millionaire in this country a $93,000 tax It is always a deal with these people. nication from the Speaker: break. It made sure every corporation It is as if there were no families who WASHINGTON, DC, still had the right to avoid paying are trying to put food on their table or June 10, 2003. taxes by relocating overseas and tak- clothes on their children’s backs. All I hereby appoint the Honorable JOHN ing American jobs with it. But the bill they care about is taking care of their BOOZMAN to act as Speaker pro tempore on shorted 6.5 million low-income families own people, like the Enrons who paid this day. who pay taxes and who are most in no taxes in 4 of the last 5 years. It was J. DENNIS HASTERT, need. These families earn between another colleague on the other side of Speaker of the House of Representatives. $10,500 and $26,625 annually. Out of a the aisle who said one must pay an in- f $350 billion bill, the President and Re- come tax in order to earn a tax credit. MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE publicans in charge of this body could That is the way it works. But she did not find $3.5 billion, 1 percent, for the not care about Enron who paid no taxes A message from the Senate by Mr. poorest American families. the last 4 out of 5 years. For Repub- Monahan, one of its clerks, announced I tried to address this problem back licans it is all about the deal. It is not that the Senate has passed a concur- on March 12 in the Committee on the about the fundamental values of fair- rent resolution of the following title in Budget, but my amendment to extend ness or of taking care of people. It is which the concurrence of the House is this tax credit to those families was about the deal, what do we get in re- requested: turned aside on a party-line vote. And turn. S. Con. Res. 49. Concurrent resolution des- then when it seemed that the Demo- We have passed three tax bills that ignating the week of June 9, 2003, as National crats had successfully included that Oceans Week and urging the President to benefit the wealthy in this last 3 years, issue a proclamation calling upon the people provision in the larger tax package but we have done nothing to help peo- of the United States to observe this week during the conference, the Republicans ple that need it the most. It is high with appropriate recognition, programs, secretly eliminated it in the dead of time the House of Representatives did ceremonies, and activities to further ocean night. Last week Democrats, united its job. I commend the President for literacy, education, and exploration. and resolute, said that that was not setting aside the quest for a deal and f enough, that these 6.5 million families urging the House to take up this bill, deserve this tax cut because they which the other body passed by an MORNING HOUR DEBATES worked every bit as hard as the 25 mil- overwhelming margin. We must restore The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- lion other families that will be receiv- what was stolen in the dead of night, ant to the order of the House of Janu- ing their tax refund in the mail next and if we do not act soon, the families ary 7, 2003, the Chair will now recog- month. They pay almost 8 percent of of these 12 million children will not be nize Members from lists submitted by their income in payroll taxes or sales receiving the tax credit in the mail the majority and minority leaders for taxes. this July 1 like the other 25 million morning hour debates. The Chair will And last week the Senate restored families. Now is the time for action. alternate recognition between the par- the child tax credit to these hard-work- f ties, with each party limited to not to ing families; and just yesterday the exceed 30 minutes, and each Member, President’s spokesperson called on the PRICE CONTROLS NEVER WORK except the majority leader, the minor- House to take up that legislation, but Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, as we ity leader, or the minority whip, lim- our colleagues on other side of the aisle return from recess to write and act on ited to not to exceed 5 minutes. just do not get it. They do not see the legislation for a Medicare prescription The Chair recognizes the gentle- urgency in helping the 12 million chil- drug benefit, I am asking my col- woman from Connecticut (Ms. dren left behind by their tax bill. The leagues and the American people to re- DELAURO) for 5 minutes. majority whip said yesterday that he sist the temptation to succumb to b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H5091 . VerDate Jan 31 2003 00:37 Jun 11, 2003 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A10JN7.000 H10PT1 H5092 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 10, 2003 price controls. This is perennial around ada for ‘‘drugs at an artificial price set but wait, there is more. What is even here. A lot of folks believe that price by some other country would be, quite more egregious in this particular case ceilings for pharmaceuticals to be a simply, a way to rob the pharma- is that the administration chose not to feasible solution to the high costs that ceutical companies of revenue needed provide or increase the child tax credit we experience with pharmaceuticals, to refund research. It is certainly to working families making between but they never work. cheap to manufacture pills if someone $10,500 to $26,625 per year. That is right. Against the advice of economic ad- else supplies the research and develop- If they make $10,500 to $26,625 per year, visers, including Nobel Prize-winning ment funding. On average, it costs the they miss out on the child tax credit. economist Milton Friedman, one Presi- pharmaceutical companies over $800 Mr. Speaker, Republicans in the dent instituted a broad range of price million and takes 12 years to bring a other body dropped a provision added controls in August of 1971; but many of new drug to market. While countries by Senator LINCOLN that would help the Members saw the PBS series ‘‘Com- like Canada may beckon to us with nearly 12 million children and their manding Heights’’ last year in which their centrally controlled drug prices, families get such a tax credit. Out of the author, Daniel Yergin, recalled none of those types of countries can that 12 million, a staggering 8 million ‘‘the public was convinced that food begin to approach the United States in received no child tax credit under the prices were going up,’’ so the President the development of new, innovative GOP law. Mr. Speaker, the Republican ‘‘opted for wage and price controls. drugs that can save millions of lives.’’ plan in no way, shape, or form protects Voters liked the price controls, and the Citizens for a Sound Economy point the children that need it the most. In- President was reelected in a landslide.’’ out ‘‘prescription drug prices differ be- stead, the plan deliberately excludes Owing to that we can control prices tween nations based on a variety of these children. In actuality, the Repub- but we cannot control the laws of sup- factors, including per capita income lican plan should be called the ‘‘Plan to ply and demand, the economy did not and type of health care system’’ that is Leave Children Behind.’’ respond as the President hoped it provided. Perhaps one of the reasons This is why I urge my colleagues to would. Mr. Yergin said, ‘‘Right away, American seniors and disabled are support H.R. 2286, the Rangel-Davis- the economy went out of whack; people looking at Canada’s and Europe’s ceil- DeLauro bill. I am proud to be a co- couldn’t cover their costs. Ranchers ing-priced pharmaceuticals is because sponsor of this bill. It is a great start stopped sending their cattle to market. that is what they lack.

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