Benjamin Cardin

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands [Ms. Christian-Green]. (Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Johnson].

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Roemer].

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Levin] a distinguished member of the Committee on Ways and Means. (Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. CARDIN. The gentleman is correct. That is why under the Republican bill, the top 1 percent in income receive almost 19 percent of the benefits for the reason that the gentleman has pointed out. The large gains in capital, et cetera, are going to be the wealthiest who are going to get the benefit of it.

Mr. CARDIN. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. CARDIN. The gentleman makes a very interesting point. It is interesting that that person actually pays over $2,700 in taxes and, if we put in the employer's share of FICA, pays over $4,500 in taxes. Under the Republican bill, that family would receive not a dime under the child credit.

Mr. CARDIN. The gentleman raises a very good point. The truth is that our Tax Code is slightly progressive. That is, those in the upper incomes pay a slightly higher percentage of their income in taxes. But the people who are hurting, the people who are having a difficult time paying their grocery bills, the people who are having a difficult time sending their kids to college are not those in the upper 1 percent of our income bracket. If we want to provide relief to those who really need it, it is the middle-income taxpayer that is hurting and needs some relief.

Mr. CARDIN. The gentleman is correct. In fact, that person actually is paying some income taxes, paying about $600 in income taxes but they are paying FICA taxes and other taxes, that for many American families, the FICA tax is the largest amount of taxes that they pay. They need help. They are trying to raise their family. They are playing according to the rules. They are working 40 hours a week trying to support their family, in many cases even working second jobs. Under the Republican bill, they would be out of the child credit. It makes no sense, it is certainly not fair. I appreciate the gentleman bringing that to our attention. We could give many, many more examples. A family with $50,000 of income, one child going to an average 2-year community college full- time, under the bill passed by this House, that family would get a $600 credit. Under the Democratic proposal, it is $1,100. On and on. That is why the motion to instruct the conferees as presented is a matter of fairness. I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Bonior].

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut [Mrs. Kennelly], a distinguished member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Tanner], a distinguished member of the Committee on Ways and Means. (Mr. TANNER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Tanner], my friend, to respond to the comments made by the gentleman from Illinois.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California [Mr. Becerra], a distinguished member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds to respond. I have not run into too many people that are in the upper 5 or 10 percent that are complaining that they cannot support their children going to college or that they need the child credit. The people at the highest incomes are paying about 21, 22 percent of their income in taxes; middle-income people paying about 19, 20 percent. The people who need the relief are the people in the middle income. Mr. Speaker, I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Neal].

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask for the time that remains on both sides? The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr. Gillmor]. The gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Cardin] has 6\1/4\ minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Crane] has 7 minutes remaining.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Levin] to respond.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Kucinich].

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from California [Mr. Stark] for yielding me this time, and really thank the gentleman from South Carolina [Mr. Spratt] and Mr. Stark for bringing forward this motion to instruct our conferees to support the House position. I would like to talk primarily on the Medicare provisions because we worked long and hard in this House to bring out a bipartisan bill on Medicare. The other body, in raising the eligibility from 65 to 67, have brought forward a major change in policy in Medicare without any public hearings on this side, without really thinking out what that policy would mean. We have provisions in our bill that set up a commission to look at the long-term solvency of Medicare, but by increasing the age from 65 to 67 we have not thought out how these individuals are going to receive health benefits. Are we expecting the employer-provided health benefits to cover? If so, then we have one of the largest new mandates on the private sector with no idea how it is going to be funded. Do we expect our seniors 65 and 66 to pick up this cost, the extra five 5, 6, $7,000 a year? Can they afford it recently retired? I doubt it. Do we expect our seniors to go without any insurance coverage, to increase the number of uninsured? These are questions that must be answered first before we increase the eligibility age for Medicare. I urge my colleagues to support this motion to make it clear to our conferees to maintain the 65-year-old eligibility for Medicare. Let us make sure that we protect the solvency of Medicare as we have in the House provisions. I urge my colleagues to support the motion.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. I understand the pressures the committee is under this year and particularly that the Park Service's fiscal year 1998 construction budget included two extremely high cost projects, but the Fort McHenry project is also a priority and is in danger of being cut off in the middle. The Senate allocation is more generous than the House numbers. Should the Senate provide funds for this project, can I ask the gentleman to support the funding construction at Fort McHenry?

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise to request a colloquy with the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Regula] regarding the fate of ongoing restoration work at the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will support the rule and support the underlying legislation. The intelligence community is in a very difficult position. Because of the classified nature of their work, it is difficult for them to respond to some of the public criticisms. I hope that this House will not only support the underlying legislation but will oppose the amendment that would make it difficult for the intelligence community to be able to carry out their work. They do outstanding public service. I have had an opportunity to visit some of the facilities. I hope more of my colleagues would take the opportunity to visit and see firsthand the type of work that we are doing. We had the best intelligence operation in the world. It is in our national interest to make sure that it is adequately authorized and funded. I want to congratulate the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss] and the gentleman from Washington [Mr. Dicks] for their work. They have worked in a bipartisan manner to bring this legislation forward. It deserves the support of this body. I thank my colleague from Texas for yielding me the time.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?