Jeb Hensarling

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Madam Speaker, for the past 7 years, the greater Mesquite area has honored many exceptional women in the community through the Women in Service and Enterprise, WISE, Award Luncheon and Style Show. Today. I rise to honor this year's award recipient, Mrs. Sharon Cook, who is a shining example of strong, capable, and dedicated leadership. I would also like to recognize honorees Tamara Akens, Rachel Lopez, and Jeann Wisenbaker, for their valuable service and commitment to their community. Sharon has been employed with Eastfield College for 26 years, where she currently serves as director of marketing and communications. She is an active member and ambassador of the Mesquite Chamber of Commerce. Sharon is also a member of the American Heart Association Board, among a myriad of other civic and community involvement. Past WISE Award winners have served in a variety of ways, but they are united by the long-lasting impact they have made on their community. Their service and community involvement continues to inspire younger generations. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Fifth District of Texas, I am honored to recognize all of the WISE honorees for their outstanding service and congratulate them on their awards. Thank you, ladies, for helping make our community and country a better place.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize Beth Glass for winning the Gold Award, the Girl Scouts of the USA's highest honor for girls 14-18 years old. Last summer, Miss Glass set out to complete the required 50 hours of community service. Desiring to honor community firefighters, she decided to repaint fire hydrants, a task she considered both achievable and extremely important since fire fighters rely on the hydrant's color to gauge how much water can flow through an individual hydrant. Not only did Miss Glass accomplish her community service requirement of 50 hours, she went above and beyond when she put in 69 hours of service. In addition, she managed to engage her friends. family and the community on the project. While her friends and family helped paint, community hardware stores donated supplies. A resident of Jacksonville, Texas. Miss Glass is a senior at All- Saints Episcopal School in Tyler, Texas, and has been a Girl Scout since fourth grade. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Fifth District of Texas, I am honored to recognize Beth Glass for not only winning the highest Girl Scout honor, but for her dedication to serving her community.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the gentlewoman from Tennessee for yielding, and I certainly thank her for her leadership and ingenuity in putting together this budget school for the American people. It is their money. Too often people come to this floor and they think it's their money. It's not. It's the people's money, and they need to know what the U.S. House is doing about it. The gentlewoman had so many great speakers from our Conservative Caucus, the Republican Study Committee, and I think I just want to sum up really what is probably a tale of two budgets: the Republican budget and the Democrat budget. And, unfortunately, for the American people, it was the Democrat budget that was passed into law. Number one, the Democrat budget included the single highest tax increase in American history on American families at a time when we know the economy is struggling, American families are struggling. I have two small children. I know what's happened to the price of milk. I know what's happened to the cost of a loaf of bread and to all the various and sundry cereals that they see advertised on Saturday morning that my wife and I are compelled to buy. Groceries have gone up. Gasoline has gone up. Ever since the Democrats took control of the economic policy of America 15 months ago, all we have seen is that American families have to struggle. But what are the Democrats doing on top of this as American families are struggling? They are imposing a tax increase of almost $3,000 per American family over the course of the next 3 years. I mean, Mr. Speaker, this is just simply unconscionable. In my district in East Texas, the average family will see their taxes increase $2,734. Small businesses, as we struggle to make sure that we keep our jobs, that we expand our jobs, small businesses, their taxes are going to go up by as much as 13 percent. Taxes on capital gains will go up 33 percent; dividends, 164 percent. Mr. Speaker, you can't have capitalism without capital. You can't have the job engine if you take that away. And so at a time when people are concerned about their paychecks, the Democrats are going to take even a bigger bite out of their paychecks and the people who create those paychecks in the first place: the small business. I mean, Mr. Speaker, this is just unconscionable. The death tax is going to go from zero percent up to 55 percent. People work their whole life to put together a farm, a ranch, a small business; and all of a sudden Uncle Sam can come in and take over half of it, and there's just not enough left to go around. The child tax credit is going to be cut in half. The lowest tax bracket is going to be increased by 50 percent. The marriage penalty will return. This is the Democrat plan for economic growth? This is the Democrat plan to help struggling American families? A tale of two budgets. The Republican budget has no tax increase, Mr. Speaker. I repeat, no tax increase. Another incredibly distinguishing aspect of the tale of two budgets is that the Republican budget says enough is enough on these earmarks. No more bridges to nowhere. It's your money. So the Republican budget included an earmark moratorium. They said you know what? The system's broken. The system's wasteful. We're going to stop it. We are going to ensure that there's a select committee to see if there's a better way to spend the people's money. And, instead, the Democrat budget rejects that. And, instead, what do they have? They have almost $15 billion for congressional earmarks that all too often represent the victory of seniority over merit, special interest over the general interest, and secrecy over transparency. In the Democrat budget, in the last budget, they financed $2 million so that one of their committee chairmen could build a museum to himself; $100,000 is sent to the Los Angeles Fashion District for landscaping at the same time they are increasing taxes on American families. They earmark $300,000 to train people to work on Hollywood movie sets while they're taxing hardworking American families. And the list goes on and on. They are the party of congressional earmarks. Business as usual. Some say it's not a whole lot of money. Well, Mr. Speaker, I hope I'm never in Congress so long that I conclude that $16 billion of the people's money is not a lot of money. It's a lot of money to the people in the Fifth Congressional District of Texas. And at the time when they are trying to keep a roof over their head, send their kids to college, pay for a gallon of gasoline, pay for a gallon of milk, to sit there and be building museums to sitting Members of Congress, to be sending money to the L.A. Fashion District is simply unconscionable. So, Mr. Speaker, again, when you look at two budgets, it's not just about numbers; it's about visions. At a time when we need more jobs and more growth and we need to secure the family paycheck, all the Democrats offer are more earmarks, and they offer tax increases on the American family as much as $3,000 per year. The Republican budget has no tax increase. It will help the family paycheck. It will help create small businesses. It has spending control and will lead to a brighter future for our children and future generations and provide them with greater freedom and greater opportunity. That is the tale of two budgets and how the American people's money is spent. So I thank the gentlewoman from Tennessee for this wonderful program on the budget. I thank her for her leadership within the Republican Study Committee, the Conservative Caucus in Congress.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. In that case, I reserve my time.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, am I correct in assuming I have the right to close?

Mr. HENSARLING. At this time, Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston), one of the prime authors of the Kingston-Wolf earmark moratorium bill.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, there are three different budgets that are offered by our friends on the other side of the aisle, the Democrats, today. They have many common elements. This one, perhaps, though, is the worst. It's the worst in that it raises taxes by the highest amount on working families all across America, especially at a time when they're trying to stretch their paychecks to make sure that they can keep a roof over their head, to make sure that they can fill up their cars and their pickup trucks, to make sure that maybe for the first time they're able to send somebody to college. Now, we know that the main Democrat alternative, the one that ultimately will be voted on by the majority of our friends on the other side of the aisle, that has over a $600 billion tax increase included in it. That's roughly $3,000 for every family in America. That's the average tax increase that will be imposed upon families over the next 5-year period. Now, this particular budget increases taxes by almost a third more. So I haven't, Mr. Chairman, quite had the time to do the back-of-the- envelope calculation, but who knows, maybe they're raising taxes by $4,000 per family. And not unlike all the other Democrat budgets we hear, they're saying, well, we don't really want to raise taxes on working families, and we really want to give them tax relief. But what I don't see, Mr. Chairman, is any effort whatsoever for people to put their vote where their rhetoric is. If I've done my homework properly, over the last 6 years there have been 21 different votes on the House floor to stop these huge automatic tax increases that are part of current law. And yet, my guess is, and I don't have the list in front of me, that most of my friends on the other side of the aisle kept those tax increases, and so now they're going to be imposed on working people. Now we're told, well, it's not really a tax increase. It's just the expiration of tax relief. Well, that's kind of interesting, because I can tell you that is a fine distinction that's going to be lost on the working men and women of the Fifth Congressional District of Texas. If you wake up one day and your paycheck, if you're making the same salary next year that you made last year, and all of a sudden your taxes are higher, I can tell you, to the school teacher in Mesquite, Texas, that's a tax increase. To the rancher in Mineola, Texas, that's a tax increase. To a factory worker in Garland, that's a tax increase. So I know that it's very common and seems to be favorable within the Halls of Congress to say, well, there's no tax increase; we're just letting tax relief expire. Well, ultimately, especially in 2011 when the full brunt of this tax increase occurs, working families all across America will be hit, and it will impact, again, their ability to keep a roof over their head, their ability to send someone to college. The Republican budget doesn't have any tax increases in it. It also, on the other hand, has no tax cuts in it. But what it does do is it prevents automatic tax increases that are part of current law from occurring. Now, a second part of this budget, which is common with all the Democrat budgets, is it does nothing, nothing about the proliferation of earmarks. There's been a huge debate in the United States Congress about what to do about earmarks. Now, Mr. Chairman, I'll admit not all earmarks are bad, but the system is bad. And our friends on the other side of the aisle told us they would come here and clean them up. They said they'd cut them in half. But last year we had the second highest amount of earmarks that we've ever had. We were told there would be transparency, yet we had almost 300 of what we call air-dropped earmarks that just somehow appear mystically out of the heavens into these bills that nobody knows they're there and no opportunity to come to the House floor to debate. And so here we have on the one hand, Mr. Chairman, we have working families struggling, struggling to stretch their paychecks, and yet our friends on the other side of the aisle want to perpetuate the status quo of earmarks, which many Americans are now waking up to the fact that all too often someone in Congress is taking a bite out of their paycheck so that some Member of Congress can keep theirs. It's not fair to them, particularly in tough, challenging economic times. So in the Republican budget, we declare a year-long moratorium on earmarks. And we give that money to the taxpayer. We say, You know what, it's more important that you are able to pay your heating bill, and it is more important that you be able to put gasoline in your car than it is to fund some kind of monument to me as has been done for the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. It's more important that you have $2 million than some Member of Congress get a monument to himself. We say it's more important, again, that the rancher in Mineola, Texas, is able to send a kid to college than it is to send $100,000 to make sure we have proper landscaping in the L.A. fashion district. These are two very distinct differences. So we are having the largest tax increase in American history to pay for more congressional earmarks, and clearly this budget and every other Democrat budget needs to be summarily rejected by this body. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 5 minutes. Mr. Chairman, I'm not sure the hardworking men and women of America need a chart to know how expensive gasoline is, and I was interested in my friend from Texas's history lesson. But there is a more recent history lesson that I believe the American people could benefit from. Elections have consequences. The Democrats took control of the Senate and took control of the House in January of 2007. They've been in control of the Nation's economy now for 15 months. This is what the price of oil was when the Democrats took control of this body. Here's where the price of oil is now. Roughly double. Since the Democrats took control of this body, Mr. Chairman, job growth has been cut in half, and the economy has actually lost over 80,000 jobs in the most recent 2 months. The average family's grocery bill has increased about $70 per month since the Democrats took control of Congress. The stock market has lost about 10 percent of its value since the Democrats took control of Congress. Home prices have fallen roughly 8 percent since the Democrats took control of Congress. Consumer price inflation has increased over 4 percent, the largest calendar year increase since the early 1990s, since the Democrats have taken control of Congress. That is the more recent history lesson that the American people can profit from. There is another aspect, though, of these Democrat budgets that, again, I believe deserve very special attention. I want to again thank the ranking member for his insight into the peril that these budgets present to future generations and really the threat to the retirement security of our children and grandchildren because these budgets compromise it. We know that Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security won't be around for future generations unless they are reformed. But I want to focus again on the fact that this budget and every Democrat budget will raise taxes on hardworking American families by at least $3,000 a month. And what do they do with that money? They keep alive an earmark system that far too many Americans have rightfully concluded that all too often represent the victory of secrecy over transparency and special interest over the national interest and privilege over merit. So they're going to raise taxes on American families $3,000 a year. And what are they going to pay for? Well, they are going to pay for things like $2 million to study yoga in the Defense bill that was placed in by a Democrat Member of Congress. And perhaps they don't have a bridge to nowhere, but according to CBS News, we have an arch to nowhere. A Democrat Member of Congress wanted to rebuild an arch in a park. We fund the Doyle Center for Manufacturing Technology, named after a Democrat Member of Congress. I have already mentioned the Charlie Rangel Center. They raise taxes on the American people, $3,000 a family, to pay for the Charlie Rangel Center for Public Service. I've already mentioned the fact that they are spending $100,000 for the L.A. fashion district for ``signage and streetscape improvements.'' One of the district's main thoroughfares, Robertson Boulevard, is known as a ``great place to spot celebrity shoppers.'' The Democrat budgets keep these earmarks alive and well and raise taxes on the American people $3,000 a year to pay for it. There's $231,000 for something called the Lincoln Airport Commission, an airport in Illinois that does not even exist, the executive director of whom apparently is on the staff of a Democrat Member of the United States Congress. In order to raise taxes $3,000 a year on American families, the Democrats also continue to fund earmarks like $300,000, requested for a Democrat Member, to help train future employees of Hollywood movie sets. I'm sure the movie studios are struggling as they make their multimillions at the box office. And $2 million for the ``paint shield'' for protecting people from micro-bio threats, which was given to one specific company. No competitive bid. They just handed the money to Sherwin-Williams and said no need to compete. No need to show merit. We're going to raise taxes on the American family $3,000 a year to pay for more earmarks. And the list goes on and on. Two very different budgets, Mr. Chairman. The Republican budget says enough's enough; declare a year-long moratorium on earmarks and fix this broken system. Every single Democrat budget, Mr. Chairman, says the status quo is fine. Let's keep these earmarks acoming. Let's make sure we take from the family paychecks so some Member of Congress can keep theirs. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, at this time, I will yield 4 minutes again to the distinguished ranking member of the Budget Committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes. Mr. Chairman, I think it is very important for all the American people who are following this debate, we always hear these claims that all we're going to do is somehow tax the rich. Well, again we've heard the gentlelady from California say that this budget balances, but according to the Congressional Budget Office, headed up by a Democrat, their appointee, the only way that that budget balances or any of the Democrat budgets balance is by huge automatic tax increases that will take place over the next few years. And under the tax increases that will take place in current law, you're going to have 116 million taxpayers see an average tax increase of $1,800 a year. More than 6 million low-income individuals and couples who currently pay no tax, no tax, will no longer be exempt. Approximately 48 million married couples will face an average tax increase of $3,000 a year. Low-income families with one or two children will no longer be eligible for the refundable child tax credit in 2011. Roughly 12 million single women, and we know that often to be poor in America is to be a single mother, 12 million single women will see their tax increases by $1,100 per year. And again, don't take my word for it, go to the Congressional Budget Office and look at the numbers and their impact on all the different tax brackets. Those who are at the lowest bracket today, the 10 percent bracket, are going to see their taxes increase 50 percent to a 15 percent bracket. So I hope the American people are watching this debate very closely, because every time we hear the Democrats say, oh, we're just going to tax the wealthy, we're going to tax the wealthy, that's a sign for any working American to hold on to their wallet, Mr. Chairman. That's what that sign is. And we're also debating today the AMT, the alternative minimum tax, which would have been more aptly named the ``absolute maximum tax.'' Well, when that was brought to the floor by Democrats in the first place, Mr. Chairman, we were told that's going to only impact 150 high- income Americans, and yet today we know it threatens 25 million Americans with an additional tax payment of over $2,000 a year. So our friends on the other side of the aisle can't have it both ways. Either you do not balance the budget, or if you do, you certainly have no spending discipline in your budget, then you're doing it through the tax increases. And look at the numbers of your Congressional Budget Office. They say you will impose the single largest tax increase in American history. And it's not just aimed for the wealthy; it's aimed at all. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, at this time I would yield 5 minutes to the distinguished ranking member of the Budget Committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan).

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, how much time is remaining on each side?

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I want to congratulate my friends on the other side of the aisle. Although we have very strong disagreements, I respect their principle and I respect the passion that they bring to the floor in this debate. We on this side of the aisle have our passion. We have our principles. And I think, Mr. Chairman, that it's important to note that no matter what Democrat budget you're talking about, there's really only one Democrat budget, and they differ from the Republican budget in many different ways. Theirs values the government budget. Ours values the family budget. Every Democrat budget, including this Progressive budget, will increase taxes on the American family, the largest single tax increase in American history, by over $3,000 per family. The Republican budget will prevent those tax increases while hardworking American families are trying to fill up their cars, send their kids to college, and put food on the table. Second of all, every Democrat budget provides the highest amount of government spending we've ever seen. More government. If you think the answer to your problems is more government, then maybe you want this Democrat budget. If you think the answer to your problems is more freedom, more opportunity, a secure paycheck, and greater career opportunities, then you want the Republican budget. The Democrat budgets are silent, silent on earmark reform. They want to preserve the status quo. They will continue to take a bite out of people's paychecks again so that some Member of Congress might keep theirs. But for as bad as what these budgets do, they are even worse for what they don't do. They are stone cold silent on the number one fiscal challenge in the land, and that is out-of-control entitlement spending. Mr. Chairman, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security will not be here for future generations unless we reform them. We are on the verge of being the first generation in American history to leave the next generation with a lower standard of living, double their taxes with just the government we have today. I will not sit idly by, nor will any Republican, and let that happen. Defeat the Democrat budget. Vote for less government, more freedom, and our children's future.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire how much time is remaining on each side.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, at this time I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished ranking member on the Budget Committee.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the ranking member for yielding, and I certainly thank him for his leadership and all he does to protect the family budget from the Federal budget. Mr. Chairman, today the American people are truly presented a tale of two budgets. Look at the Democrat budget: a $683 billion tax increase, the single largest tax increase in American history. And, Mr. Chairman, it's about $3,000 out of every American family paycheck a year. This is written in the law. This isn't something they are planning. This is something written into law. And I hope, Mr. Chairman, that they'll reflect upon how this impacts working families in their district because I can assure you I hear from families in my district. I heard from the Vance family in Maybank, Texas, in the Fifth Congressional District. They write: ``Dear Jeb, both my wife and I are cancer patients, and I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would think this Nation could survive such a huge tax increase at this time. As it stands right now, I would have to sell my house, lose my small business, and go without health insurance'' to pay the Democrat tax increase. The Republican budget: no tax increases. Let's look at the spending side. No news here. The largest single budget in American history. More government programs, more government spending, more of the same. The Republican budget actually has spending control, holds discretionary spending to 4.3 percent, and still funds our Nation's priorities. Let's look at the national debt. What did the Democrats bring us? The single largest 1-year increase in the Federal debt. The Republican budget balances the budget in 2012 without, I repeat, Mr. Chairman, without tax increases. Let's look at earmarks. The Democrat budget: status quo. They want to continue the earmarks. While they are raising taxes on hardworking American families $3,000 a year, just look at what they did last year. There was $100,000 for landscaping for the L.A. fashion district; $300,000 to train people to work on Hollywood movie sets; $2 million, $2 million so they could create a monument to one of their Members, all while putting the single largest tax increase on American families. Now let's think about entitlement spending: Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. They're not going to be around for my 6-year-old daughter or my 4-year-old son unless we reform these entitlements. The Democrat budget? Stone cold silent. What does that mean? Listen to our former Comptroller General: ``The rising cost of government entitlements are a fiscal cancer that threatens catastrophic consequences for our country and could bankrupt America.'' The Republican budget reforms these programs. It is a budget for the next generation. Theirs is a budget for the next election. Two completely different visions, Mr. Chairman. Theirs is a vision of more government, less opportunity, and higher taxes. Ours is about greater economic security and a brighter future for our children. We don't want to be the first generation in America's history to leave the next generation with a lower standard of living. And that's what they do by remaining stone cold silent on the greatest fiscal challenge to our Nation. We can have a brighter future for our children, but we must enact the Republican budget.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the ranking member for yielding, and I am sorry that my friend from New Jersey has apparently left the floor. No, I see him there. We had the occasion to debate this budget earlier today. I believe that he just said every Republican voted against OBRA in 1993 and that is what unleashed economic growth, but if I did my homework correctly, I think the gentleman from New Jersey voted against it as well. I would be happy to yield to the gentleman if I was incorrect in my assertion.

Mr. HENSARLING. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. HENSARLING. Well, I thank the gentleman once again for yielding. There is a big question again about tax increases, and I have heard many of my friends on the other side of the aisle argue that there is no tax increase included in their budget; yet, Mr. Chairman, they claim that they are going to balance the budget in 2012. Well, the only way they can do that is by capturing all these tax revenues. Now, some of them use very clever Washington language. They say, well, we are not raising taxes on working men and women in America. We are just letting tax relief expire. Well, that is a very fine distinction that is lost upon the working men and women of America. I mean, there is this odd quirk in Washington that somehow spending is forever and it grows exponentially at the expense of the family budget, and yet tax relief somehow is temporary. The bottom line is that very soon, within two budget years, there is going to be a massive tax increase upon the American people. There will be, again, the largest single tax increase in American history. Now, we were just talking about the earlier record when the Democrats were in control of Congress of $241 billion. The tax increase they are proposing now will dwarf that, $683 billion, the largest tax increase in American history. Again, they want to claim credit for balancing the budget, and I certainly salute their goal. The Republican budget, it balances the budget without tax increases. But if you look and actually read the numbers, and ultimately the numbers are the only thing you can count on in a budget, well, Mr. Chairman, this is their budget right here. That is them taking in all of these tax increases. That is how they claim to balance the budget. So, again, there is going to be huge, massive tax increases, scheduled, automatic tax increases. The Republican budget prevents those tax increases from coming into fruition. Now, I have heard our chairman, and I have the greatest amount of respect for the chairman, say on many occasions, well, you know, this is the way the law was written. But, Mr. Chairman, if I did my homework correctly, there have been at least 21 different occasions over the last 5 years to make sure that these automatic tax increases on hardworking American people didn't take place. And as I look at the voting record, the overwhelming majority of Democrats voted to make sure that these tax increases do take place, so I am sure they don't want to admit to the American people that they are raising taxes. But they are. So, Mr. Chairman, what is going to happen? Well, let me tell you what is going to happen under this Democrat budget. Number one, 116 million taxpayers will see an average tax increase of more than $1,800 per year. More than 6 million low-income individuals and couples who currently pay no taxes, no taxes, will no longer be exempt and will have to start paying income taxes. A family of four earning $50,000 will see their taxes increase by $2,100. Low-income families with one or two children will no longer be eligible for the refundable child tax credit in 2011. Tax bills for an estimated 27 million small business owners will increase by more than $4,000 each. Mr. Chairman, I was a small businessman before I came to Congress, and let me tell you, excess taxation prevents small businesses from creating jobs. A job is the greatest housing program, nutritional program, and educational program in the history of mankind. It is a paycheck, not a welfare check. Yet the Democrat tax increase is a dagger aimed at the heart of small business throughout our Nation. The capital gains tax is going to go up 33 percent, the capital of capitalism. If you want to be able to have job growth, you have to have capital. Taxes on dividends go up 164 percent under their plan. Mr. Chairman, the death tax, that is a tax that is immoral. It ought to be illegal. It goes away, and under this Democrat budget, it comes back as high as 55 percent. The child tax credit is cut in half. The lowest tax bracket is increased 50 percent. These are just the tax increases that have been passed into law. How about the others that the Democrats attempted to pass? H.R. 6 attempted to increase taxes $7.7 billion. H.R. 976 attempted to raise taxes $1.4 billion; H.R. 3963 tried to raise taxes $71.5 billion. Now we have Chairman Rangel of the Ways and Means Committee wanting to raise taxes trillions of dollars in the years to come for the AMT. We have a 50 cent increase in gasoline tax recommended by the Energy and Commerce chairman, Mr. Dingell of Michigan, and an additional 5 cent increase per gallon gas hike proposed by Representative James Oberstar, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. There is no getting around it. This is the largest single tax increase on American history. It is going to cost American families an average of $3,000 a year as they try to educate their children, as they try to keep a roof over their head, as they try to realize their American Dream.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member for yielding to me. I have listened with great interest as my friends from the other side of the aisle, the Democrats, attempted to do everything they could to distance themselves from their single largest tax increase in American history contained in their budget. Again, Mr. Chairman, here are $683 billion worth of tax increases. This is what we call the CBO baseline, the Congressional Budget Office, which assumes that, as current law says, we are going to have huge automatic tax increases, most of which kick in in 2011. That is this red line. Well, our friends on the other side of the aisle claim they are balancing the budget in 2012, but they can only do it through these huge, automatic tax increases. And this isn't my baseline. They appointed the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, so if they have some problem with this particular revenue curve, they need to take it up with him. You can't have it both ways. You can't claim you are not increasing taxes and at the same time claim, claim that you are balancing the budget in 2012. Now, I listened very carefully when my distinguished chairman said that he wants to prevent these tax increases. I know he wants to prevent it. And I listened to the gentlelady from Texas saying that she endorses middle income tax relief. But they just don't seem willing to vote that way, Mr. Chairman. If I did the math correctly, there have been at least 21 occasions over the last 6 years when Democrats could have voted to prevent these huge, automatic tax increases, which will amount to an average tax increase on the American family of $3,000 a year. So the rhetoric is nice. The language is comforting. But when will somebody on that side of the aisle put their vote where their rhetoric is? I don't see it, Mr. Chairman. It reminds me of the old adage that your actions are so loud I can hardly hear your words. Now I hear a lot of talk on the other side of the aisle about how compassionate their budget is and somehow our budget is not compassionate. I'm not sure what is really compassionate about raising taxes on hardworking American families because, Mr. Chairman, every time you plus-up the Federal budget, guess what, it comes out of some family budget. And I hear from those families. I hear from the families in the Fifth Congressional District of Texas that I have the honor of representing. I heard from the White family of Mesquite, Texas: ``Regarding the news that the average Texas family may soon be burdened with extra taxes, it is not good news to a family with $24,000 a year in income and two expensive stroke-prevention medications, among other critical medications to maintain.'' Their $3,000 a year tax increase, the largest tax increase in American history, is going to decimate the family health care budget. Now, I heard from the Sessions family in Quitman, Texas, also in my district: ``Any increase in income taxes would cut into my Social Security money so much, to such an extent I would not be able to purchase my medications.'' Again, their single largest tax increase in American history is going to decimate the family health care budget. Mr. Chairman, I heard from the Swanson family from Wills Point, Texas: ``A tax increase of that size will prevent me from receiving the medications necessary to prolong my life.'' Once again, the single largest tax increase in American history are decimating, will decimate families, not just in the Fifth Congressional District of Texas, but all over America. I wish that my friends on the other side of the aisle would just take a moment and think about who has to pay all of these taxes while Americans are struggling to pay for their health care bills and to make sure that they keep a roof over their head, to send their children to college, to fill up their cars and pickup trucks, to try to start small businesses. How are they going to be able to afford the single largest tax increase in history? Where is the compassion in taking money away from these hardworking families? What does it do to their housing? Well, I heard from the Stevens family in Mesquite, Texas: ``I wanted to let you know that I am a single mom that does not receive any type of child support, and an increase of this amount would break me. I would be at risk of losing my home with this type of increase.'' The single largest tax increase in American history, an average of $3,000 per American family, most of it due to hit right there, 2011, coming very soon to a neighborhood near you. It is going to decimate the housing budget. It is going to decimate the health care budget. It is going to decimate the education budget of hardworking American families all across the Nation. Where is the compassion there? There is no compassion there.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Chairman, for as many shortcomings as this budget has for what it contains, the largest single tax increase in American history threatening, over the next few years, an increase in family taxes of over $3,000 a year, an explosion of new government spending in bureaucracy, the largest Federal budget ever, earmarks as far as the eye can see, taking money out of paychecks so some Member of Congress can keep their paycheck, for as bad as this budget is for what it contains, it's even worse for what it doesn't contain. There is nothing, nothing in this budget that will reform out-of- control entitlement spending. This budget, this Democrat budget, threatens the retirement security of future generations. And don't take my word for it. Go to the Social Security and Medicare Trustees Report. It's going broke. It is going broke. The Nation can't afford all of the spending that the Democrats are putting forth. Already these programs are threatening future generations with an unconscionable tax hike. We are looking at a fiscal fork in the road already so that future generations are either, A, going to have to have their taxes doubled, or there will be no Federal Government to speak of except Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Now, our friends on the other side of the aisle say, well, give us a few years and maybe we'll get around to doing something about it. Well, we don't have a few years. We don't have a few years, Mr. Chairman, because every single year that the Democrats choose to kick the can down the road, every single year they choose to ignore the problem, an extra $2 trillion of debt that they decry is put on our children and our grandchildren. Mr. Chairman, I got into the parent business 6 years ago. I have a 6- year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. I know many on that side of the aisle have children and grandchildren. So I'm so perplexed that they don't care about this problem. Every year they ignore it, it's an extra $8,000 of debt or taxes that are going to be placed on our children and our grandchildren. But don't take my word for it. Listen to the Federal Reserve: ``Without early and meaningful action to address the rapid growth of entitlements, the U.S. economy could be seriously weakened with future generations bearing much of the cost.'' Comptroller General Walker: ``The rising cost of government entitlements are a fiscal cancer, a fiscal cancer that threatens catastrophic consequences for our country and could bankrupt America.'' Those aren't my words, Mr. Chairman. Those are the words of the Comptroller General. Those are the words of the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. So right now already as the Democrats decry the current debt, do they not believe that Medicare is a debt of the government? Do they not believe Medicaid is a debt of the government? Do they not believe Social Security is a debt of the government? And if so, it is their budget, their budget that is increasing debt and heaping it upon future generations. This $8,000 a year that they are putting on future generations, that's enough money for every family in my district to send two children to Texas A&M University for 4 years. It will pay an average mortgage for 2 years. And yet, again, the Democrats know about this problem, Mr. Chairman; they just don't do anything about it. Now, somebody who grew up listening to a lot of rock and roll, there's a song that I'm very fond of called ``Ohio'' by Neil Young, and there's a line in that song that says, ``How can you run when you know?'' And that's what I ask about this budget. How can the Democrats run when they know what they are doing to future generations?

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the Martin's Mill Lady Mustangs basketball team for winning the Class A Division I Texas State Championship. On March 2, 2008, the Lady Mustangs made their third straight appearance in the State tournament since they secured their first championship title in 2006. After trading leads throughout the game and trailing late in the third quarter, the Lady Mustangs came back to secure a 48-43 victory over Sudan. I especially want to recognize the three seniors on the team, Jordan Barncastle, Taylor Daniel and Christa Williams, for the extraordinary achievement of securing two State championships. In addition, I want to congratulate Jordan Barncastle for being named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after contributing 18 points, eight rebounds, and three steals in the championship game. I also want to recognize Head Coach Doug Barncastle, who began coaching at Martin's Mill High School in 2005 and has led the Lady Mustangs to the State tournament all 3 years. This victory was extra special since he was coaching his daughter, Jordan Barncastle, in her last game before graduating and heading to Lubbock to play for the Texas Tech Lady Raiders. With the game falling during the week of his birthday, the victory was an answered birthday wish for Coach Barncastle. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Fifth District of Texas, I am honored to recognize the Martin's Mill Lady Mustangs--both coaches and players--for their talent, dedication, and exceptional performance.