Waving Points of Order Against Conference Report on S. 1932, Deficit Reduction Act of 2005
WAIVING POINTS OF ORDER AGAINST CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1932, DEFICIT REDUCTION ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - December 18, 2005)
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Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is entitled the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. What it should really be entitled is the Deficit Increase Act of 2006. It reminds me of the old joke of Monseigneur O'Malley, who goes up into the pulpit on Sunday and says, ``On Wednesday night in the church hall, Father Murphy will lecture on the evils of gambling. On Thursday night in the church hall, bingo.''
Here tonight we are being lectured by the Republicans on the need to reduce the deficit. How? Well, we are going to cut Medicare for the poorest in our country. We are going to cut Medicaid for the poorest in our country. We are going to cut education programs for the kids who need it the most across our country. And they are going to cut out $41 billion from the poor and the working class in our country who need it the most right before the holidays. And then their plan is to come back here in January with a $56 billion tax break for millionaires, dividend cuts all across the board for the wealthiest in our country.
So what we are going to have here is a lecture tonight on the need to cut and to ensure that the poorest sacrifice, and then in January, bingo, $56 billion in cuts for the wealthiest in our country, increasing, if you can do the math here, I am not sure the Republicans can do math, $41 billion in cuts, $56 billion in tax breaks, mostly for the wealthiest, means you have spent $15 billion more and dug the hole even deeper.
The Republicans do not understand that they are in violation of the first law of holes, which is when you are in one stop digging. And so what they do is in order to cover for a tax break for the wealthiest, they cut the poorest and they simultaneously increase the deficit for subsequent generations all at the same time. And when do they do it? At quarter to 3 in the morning, when the people who are going to be hurt the most are suffering. And when are they going to tell the people who are going to benefit? Next year around campaign time when they, once again, remind them that if you want to get tax breaks for the wealthiest in America, then vote yourself a Republican in Congress, because that is what tonight is all about: a hypocrisy coefficient at historic highs. And tonight, if you want to ensure that we protect those most in need in our country, vote ``no'' on this hypocritical Republican attempt to increase the deficit in our country while calling it the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.
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