Republicans Have Focused on Results

REPUBLICANS HAVE FOCUSED ON RESULTS-HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART (Extensions of Remarks - March 11, 2004)

HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART
OF FLORIDA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, since I was elected to Congress, I have heard endless rhetoric from those on the other side of the aisle about the economy, tax cuts and the deficit. Unfortunately, when the political fog clears, it appears that our Democratic friends are more concerned with rhetoric than they are with results.

Democrats have come to the floor and spoken about an "exploding deficit" that will "haunt our children for years to come."
One Democrat has even referred to the deficit as "immoral."

However, their record speaks much larger than their endless rhetoric. For example, the Democrats have proposed approximately $890 billion in alternatives to major legislation considered on the House floor last year. This would have added almost one trillion dollars to the deficit. But before the chamber could clear, I am sure those Democrats were back on the floor yelling about deficit levels.

During the Fiscal Year 2004 Budget Resolution, Democrats had another great opportunity to focus on the deficit and responsible spending. The Budget Committee proposed a one percent reduction in non-defense spending in order to reduce the vast amount of waste, fraud and abuse so prevalent throughout the federal government. This proposal did not receive a single vote by a Democrat on the committee.

Unfortunately, the deficit is not the only economic issue where Democrats are strong on rhetoric, but absent on results. This chamber has been the venue for many Democrats complaining about the President's tax cuts. Democrats have called the President's tax relief plan "reckless tax cuts for the rich" and even a "fraud and a failure."

Unfortunately, when addressing President Bush's tax relief plan, there are no facts that Democrats fail to misrepresent. The accusation that this tax relief is a tax cut for the rich is the most often and obvious misrepresentation of the facts.

Democrats not only voted against this tax relief, but some have even advocated rescinding the President's entire tax relief package. Let us take a look at what would happen had those Democrats been able to rescind the President's tax relief.

Reinstate nine million low-income Americans back on the tax rolls.

Reinstate the marriage penalty.

Cut in half the $1,000 per child tax credit.

Raise taxes on education savings by 75 percent.

Eliminate income tax deduction for paying college tuition.

Raise the capital gains tax by 25 percent and 50 percent for lower income families.

Increase the double tax of dividends by as much as 62 percent.

Reinstate the death tax.

Reduce the adoption credit and the dependent care credit.

Eliminate emergency tax relief to areas affected by the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Not only do some of our Democrat friends fight tax relief, they only propose one alternative: raise taxes on hard-working American people. Their talking points may avoid the facts, but raising taxes is the only economic policy Democrats have put forth. In fact, Democrats have proposed raising taxes ten times in the House and fifteen times in the Senate over the last year. This record speaks for itself.

It is important, as well, to highlight the reasons why their rhetoric about the President's tax relief has been proven wrong.
They claim-as I have mentioned-that the President's tax relief was only "for the rich." I would guess they assume that low and middle income families are not affected by the marriage penalty, small family farmers are not affected by the death tax and middle-income parents are not affected by the adoption tax credit. It also appears that they have forgotten that the President's tax relief took millions of low-income Americans off the tax rolls all together.

Democrats have also claimed that the tax relief passed by this Congress will create no stimulus for jobs. It is clear that economic developments have silenced that argument, but it is important to highlight why. According to the Department of Commerce, three million fewer Americans would be working today if the tax relief plan were not signed into law. Gross Domestic Product would also be as much as 3.5 to 4% lower by the end of 2004.

How can Democrats claim that job creation hasn't happened when 112,000 new jobs were created in January and 366,000 jobs have been added over the past five months? How can they claim that the President's tax relief plan is not creating jobs when the unemployment rate has had the fastest seven month decline in nearly a decade? These are the facts and the facts seem to stand in stark contrast to the rhetoric we hear from the Democrats when it comes to economic policy.

Now the Democrats are fighting to allow the tax relief to expire. Although Democrats try to avoid it, this policy is a tax increase. If the 2001 and 2003 tax relief acts were to expire now, it would raise taxes by an average of $1,544 for 109 million taxpayers in 2003, according to the Department of Commerce.

While rhetoric may have led some to believe otherwise, Democrats have clearly outlined a plan over the last year that would not only contribute almost one trillion dollars to the deficit, but would also raise taxes on the American families. These are the facts and the records certainly highlight those facts.

We are at a crucial point in economic policy-as spending-driven deficits and burdensome taxes are clearly affecting American families. This resolution will address the deficit, spending and eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. This stands in stark contrast to the reckless spending and taxing advocated by the Democrats.

As we debate the budget, I encourage my friends on the other side of the aisle to join us in reducing the deficit-not by proposing almost a trillion dollars in additional spending, but focusing on reductions in programs that are wasteful, duplicative or outdated. Furthermore, I encourage Democrats to oppose the large increases that only foster high deficits, while helping to reduce the burden of the tax code on American families-not by raising taxes-but through common sense tax relief.

Republicans have focused on results-the economy is rebounding, the trend of job creation is increasing, homeownership is at record levels and GDP and consumer confidence is steadily growing. I ask my Democrat friends to stop the rhetoric and begin focusing on results.