Sander Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. It's now my privilege to yield 1 minute to our very distinguished majority leader, Mr. Hoyer of Maryland.

Mr. LEVIN. Secondly, before I yield the balance of the time to the Speaker, our very distinguished Speaker, I want to take just a minute or less to make a couple of key points. Number one, everybody would receive a tax cut under this bill. Everybody. Secondly, only 3 percent--these are the facts--of small business owners would get the additional tax for income over $250,000. Only 3 percent. And the third and last point is this. For those with income a million and over, under the Republican plan they would get a tax cut of over $100,000, while average Americans would get a fraction of that. It's now my pleasure to yield the balance of my time to our distinguished Speaker of the House, the gentlelady from California, Nancy Pelosi.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, first, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material in the Congressional Record.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, it is now my real pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth).

Mr. LEVIN. I yield myself 10 seconds. Ninety-seven percent of small businesses will not pay any more taxes. They'll get a tax cut. I now yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra), a member of our committee.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1745, I call up the bill (H.R. 4853) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, and I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 15 seconds to myself. This is the fact from the Tax Policy Center: Only 3 percent of small businesses would be affected, and of that, only a small amount get most of their income from small businesses. This isn't about politics, Mr. Camp; this is about people. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), a member of our committee.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I shall consume. Colleagues, the time has come. This is the moment to stand up and be counted on middle-income tax cuts. The Republicans want to continue to keep middle-income tax cuts hostage, hostage until it's combined with upper-income tax cuts. It's, in part, because they don't want to have to vote separately on tax cuts for the very wealthy. But, as I have said, the time has come. We must not let middle-income taxpayers remain hostage to a partisan agenda. Indeed, I was going back over comments that have been made these last months, and I refer to one from my colleague from Michigan, the ranking member. He is here. He said, just a few months ago, in talking to AP, that it would be difficult to block extension of middle-income tax cuts, even if it doesn't stop tax rates from increasing for high earners saying, ``I will probably vote for it myself.'' Today is the test whether the hostage-taking ends. Every single provision here, every single one, is about tax cuts, tax cuts that are so important for this country. And let me, if I might, refer to some of them. For families making less than $250,000 a year, this bill permanently extends the following, the 2001-2003 tax cuts, including the current income tax rates. That means a lot for middle-income families throughout this country, the marriage penalty relief that means so much for tens of thousands, for millions of families, lower rates on capital gains and dividends and the $1,000 child tax credit. For 2 years, very importantly, this bill will protect more than 25 million taxpayers from the AMT, the alternative minimum tax, by extending it, as I said, for 2 years through 2011. And, importantly, it permanently extends the small business expensing. So added all up, these tax cuts, we are talking tax cuts for middle-American families and small businesses of tax cuts over 10 years of $1.5 trillion. And I want say something and be very clear because often it's raised about small businesses, America's small businesses receive a tax cut under this bill. It's only 3 percent of the very wealthy which will not receive a larger tax cut. So, in a word, the time has come. The smoke screen is now being lifted by this bill. You have a chance to stand up or back down on tax cuts for the middle-income families of our country. I hope that we can rise above partisan politics. I hope that we can keep in mind the millions of families who are counting on action by us and no longer holding them hostage. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act and urge the House to pass it today. Bighead carp were first brought to the United States in the 1970s to control algae in aquaculture ponds. Unfortunately, bighead carp and other harmful species of non-native fish were released into the Mississippi River in the early 1990s during major flooding. Since then, the Asian carp have established themselves in the Mississippi River system. Asian carp are voracious eaters and the impact of the carp on native fish populations has been severe. In the ensuing years, the Asian carp have made their way north and are now threatening to invade the Great Lakes. The federal government and the Great Lakes states are fighting a pitched battle against the carp to prevent them from becoming established in the Lakes. We must use every means available to stop this destructive fish from invading the Great Lakes. We're already paying a heavy price for the decision to import these non-native carp into the United States. For many years, during both the Bush and Obama administrations, a number of us from the Great Lakes region have been urging the Fish and Wildlife Service to include bighead carp on the list of injurious species under the Lacey Act and so minimize the risk of further harm by prohibiting the importation and interstate transportation of live Asian carp without a permit. The bill before the House today would list bighead carp as injurious under the Lacey Act. I commend Senator Levin for introducing this important legislation, which passed the Senate on November 17. Although it is too late to undo the damage that bighead carp are doing in the Mississippi River and its tributaries, we should do everything possible to prevent these invasive fish from harming other areas of the United States. I urge passage of S. 1421.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. This is a long injustice. And the question has been raised: Why use moneys within the jurisdiction of Ways and Means and Finance to support this bill? The answer is very clear. There is no escape. There is a moral compulsion to act on this legislation. And no one should hide behind issues of jurisdiction. We have tried to do this for years. The Finance Committee decided there was a way to finance it. This is a morally right thing to do period. The bill also extends the basic TANF program through September 30 of next year. I greatly regret that the TANF provisions included in this bill do not include an extension of the TANF Emergency Fund. That fund has helped unemployed families find work and assisted local economies in coping with the recession. Roughly 250,000 jobs were created, most of them in the private sector. Unfortunately, Republican opposition in the Senate has repeatedly blocked our efforts to extend this program. This is critical legislation. I urge its support. I yield the balance of the Ways and Means' time to Mr. McDermott.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6419) to amend the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to provide for the further extension of emergency unemployment benefits, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, this is called an emergency bill because it is an emergency. For millions of people, this is an emergency. Unemployment benefits are going to run out in a few days. Therefore, it is an emergency for the United States of America. And let me just indicate what is at stake here. Through January 1 of next year, close to 2 million people will not any longer be eligible for benefits. And then, a month later, the amount almost doubles. This is an emergency. Last night, I was in my office at 9:30 and a person called from Atlanta, Georgia, to thank me and to thank Mr. McDermott and to thank our party for bringing up this extension. I don't know what more any of us want. I don't see how we can go home for Thanksgiving when, as a result of failure of benefits, hundreds of thousands of people may not have a turkey on their table because they can't afford it and the next week may not have the moneys they need to meet their daily needs. This should be a bipartisan effort. This is a totally human effort. This is totally an urgent effort. These are people laid off, people who have been looking for work, people who cannot find work. For every job, at least five people are looking for employment for that job. I don't know what other evidence needs to be brought here. It can be stated very briefly and directly. If the 2 million people who are going to lose their benefits looking for work were brought here so we could see them, would anyone vote ``no''? Would anyone vote ``no''? Do we need the 2 million here? Can we put ourselves in their homes, in their shoes, in their places with their families, with their children. This is an emergency. This House must act. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. I say to the gentleman from Louisiana that the people of this country who are looking for work don't want empathy; they want the unemployment insurance that they worked for, and you're standing in the way. Don't send them empathy. Send them what they worked for. I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of my time be controlled by the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott), the author of this bill.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Andrew Gerhart, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan. Dr. Gerhart has been named the 2010 Michigan Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. More than 300 top professors in the United States were considered in this annual competition, which is the only national program to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring. Dr. Gerhart received his Master's degree from the University of Wyoming and his Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM. After numerous highly successful career endeavors, he began teaching at Lawrence Tech University in 2002 and has become a remarkably active teacher and researcher. He is the director of the Thermal Science Laboratory and Aerodynamics Laboratory, Coordinator of the Certificate of Energy and Environmental Management Program and Aeronautical Engineering Minor/Certificate, and Chair of the Leadership Curriculum Implementation Committee. During his tenure at Lawrence Technological University, Dr. Gerhart has received numerous awards and been nationally recognized for papers and presentations about improving the educational process. In 2005, he was awarded the Outstanding Young Engineer of the Year by the Engineering Society of Detroit. Also that year, his paper, ``K-12 Summer Engineering Outreach Programs--Curriculum Comparisons Between Ages, Minorities, and Genders'' was awarded Best Paper--PIC V at the 2005 ASEE Annual Conference. Additionally, he is the recipient of a 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 Kern Faculty Incentive Grants for research with Turbine Technologies, Ltd, and recipient of portions of the 2006 KEEN grant and 2007 Chrysler Foundation grant. I have seen first-hand the outstanding work that Lawrence Tech University is doing. In particular, the University's Center for Innovative Materials Research is doing state-of-the-art work in the area of advanced composite materials. It is important to develop these cutting-edge technologies here in Michigan because of our strong roots in research and development. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the achievements of Dr. Andrew Gerhart and to congratulate him on receiving this well-deserved award. I am confident Dr. Gerhart will continue in his success, as he educates students to be the next leaders in the field of engineering.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, it is now my special pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman who is an original cosponsor of this important legislation, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), the very distinguished chair of the Rules Committee.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez), another distinguished member of our committee.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer), another very, very distinguished member of our Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), another member of our committee.

Mr. LEVIN. I now yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra), another very distinguished member of our committee.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), another active member of our committee.