Richard Neal

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, this bill phases out the deductions that benefit middle-income families. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider).

Mr. NEAL. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, 38,000 South Dakota households making less than $113,000 a year will see a tax increase under this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the highly regarded gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), the son of Massachusetts and my friend.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark), a valued member of our delegation.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, 40 percent of Mr. Paulsen's constituents claim the SALT deduction, a benefit of over $15,000. They are lucky to break even after this tax bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind), a valued member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, over 350,000 Tennessee households making under $132,000 will see a tax increase with this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney), a leader on the Higher Education Subcommittee and well known nationally as a spokesperson on education issues.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, all of those projects in Philadelphia are about to come to an end with the abolition of the historic tax credit. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), who, incidentally, is a CPA and a tax attorney

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, correction. Not one hearing was held on this tax bill. Thirty-eight thousand people in Mr. Reed's district will lose the student loan interest deduction. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), a real champion of the working class in America.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch), who is a son of Springfield, Massachusetts, and a very distinguished gentleman.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, more than 100,000 Nebraska households making under $137,000 a year will see a tax increase under this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Capuano), my good friend from Somerville, Massachusetts.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I am for maintaining the status quo by allowing students to deduct their student interest loans. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a well-regarded champion of middle-income people.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, forgive me for being from New England. I will leave that alone. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson).

Mr. NEAL. I yield to the gentleman from Michigan.

Mr. NEAL. The summary of this tax bill was published last Thursday. We did a walk-through on Monday. We only had a chance to respond to the bill, or the chairman's mark on Friday. And then on Monday, we did a walk-through. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning, we did the markup. Not one hearing. And recall that, in the last moments of the markup, we were handed a manager's amendment. We had 20 minutes to react to the manager's amendment, so no hearings. And compare that with 1986, which everybody heralds now, as the great moment of Reagan and O'Neill and Rostenkowski and Gephardt and Bradley, 450 witnesses, 30 public hearings. The Secretary of the Treasury sat through the markup.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow we are going to be asked to cast perhaps one of the most important votes that will take place in a career here in the House based on the tax plan that the Republicans have put forward. I say history is important, because this vote is likely to have consequences for years and years and years to come. As I noted earlier tonight, as we look at a million new veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq who deserve our care, for those of us who represent soldiers' homes and hospitals for the VA, we know just how important this is. We know what happens to Alzheimer's patients who are going to lose the deduction on healthcare. We know what is going to happen to those students who currently write off parts of their student loans through interest deductions. We know the assessed tax that is going to go on places like the University of Notre Dame and others. We also understand that the homeowner deduction, the mortgage interest deduction, which is a huge middle class benefit, is about to be taken away arbitrarily. State and local taxes, in some cases sales taxes, are about to be abolished all based upon the premise of maybe there will be enough economic growth. There is no evidence, based on the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 or the repatriation that took place in 2004, that any of this is accurate, but they continue to proceed. The next part of the challenge is they have now substituted the old supply side economics theory--remember tax cuts pay for themselves--and they have come up with a new term, and the new term that they have come up with is ``dynamic scoring.'' So we have the challenge of technology, we have the challenge of globalization, and, yes, we have the challenge of skill set across America to move people into a direction of employment where they and their skills might be aligned with the jobs that are open, because the Department of Labor this week said there are 6 million jobs in America that go unanswered, 18,000 precision manufacturing jobs in New England that go unanswered, and 1 million tech jobs. So we should be using this opportunity to invest in vocational education; we should be using it to invest in internship programs; and, yes, we should be using it to invest in community colleges. So part of this discussion should be based on, again, the historic vote of long- term investment. Now, we also know that is unlikely to happen because, when people have a chance to look at these distribution tables on these tax cuts as to who gets what, they are going to be furious. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Napa, California (Mr. Thompson), and then the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) will be acknowledged right after that.

Mr. NEAL. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. NEAL. I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin).

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I continue to yield to the gentleman from Connecticut.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and honor Gunnery Sergeant Thomas ``Tommy'' Sullivan of the United States Marine Corps. On Thursday July 16, 2015, a gunman attacked a Naval Reserve Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During that senseless act of violence, Gunnery Sergeant Sullivan made the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life to defend his fellow service members. Tommy Sullivan was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated from Cathedral High School in 1994, and became a Marine three years later. His friends and family all attest that Tommy was determined to serve his county since a young age. Over the course of nearly two decades in the military, Tommy survived two tours in Iraq, was awarded two Purple Hearts, and made a lasting impression on all those who served with him. Many have proudly said that he was everything that a Marine should be. He was a natural leader who always kept his composure, and who mentored less experienced Marines. Those who served with him recall that after battles he always took the time to talk to everyone under his command, and was never afraid to crack a joke in order to ease the tension. Tommy's bravery during the attack on that Chattanooga military installation in 2015 will forever be remembered. On that day, he helped more than a dozen of his fellow servicemen escape when a gunman opened fire. When he turned back to help two others, he unfortunately lost his life. For his valor, Tommy was posthumously awarded the Lieutenant J. Frank Murphy Medal of Valor--an annual award given by the Springfield Veterans' Activities Committee to a resident who risked their lives to save others. His family was also honored with Tommy's third Purple Heart which was awarded to him for his heroic actions. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to once again honor Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Sullivan for his courage and service to our country. He was loyal to his family, his friends, and the extraordinary individuals of the Marine Corps and all of our nation's Armed Forces. To Tommy's family, please know that the United States of America will never forget his heroism and sacrifice and we are eternally grateful.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, it is getting time for Halloween, so they have put on the disguise on the other side. So what we are hearing today is, from the last two Republican speakers: This is a bad budget. Let's vote ``yes.'' The gentleman from Ohio said a while ago, this is all about the middle class. The middle class does not pay an estate tax. The middle class, because of our efforts--and, I think, mine in particular--no longer pay the alternative minimum tax. And the people in the middle class are not locked into the 39.6 top rate in the Tax Code. This is a disguise. They are adding $1.5 trillion to the debt and, actually, over 10 years, when you borrow the money, they are adding $2.3 trillion to the debt, all for a tax cut for people at the very top. Now, let me say this: I am happy to negotiate a tax reform package that we can all live with. I am happy to sit down with the other side and acknowledge some parts of the Code that clearly don't work any longer for the American people. This is being done by one party, exclusively. They have not negotiated with us. They have not given us the opening. They have not said to us: ``Where do you want to proceed on this?'' Instead, if you pass this budget today, they suggest you are going to see their plan on November 1, and you are going to vote for it sometime around November 6. That is not negotiation. The Congress I signed up for actually negotiated these agreements, and if you couldn't love the final passage, at least you could like it because you had sufficient input. That is not what has happened, Mr. Speaker, in this process. This process is one-sided. It is one-dimensional. They interchangeably use the words ``tax cut'' and ``tax reform.'' This is about a tax cut.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the disaster supplement because it provides critical funds to help rebuild communities in the U.S. states and territories, including Puerto Rico. Although I support this bill, I am concerned it is not enough. For example, it fails to provide funds for Community Development Block Grants, critical health care needs, Social Services Block Grants and public housing assistance. I am proud to represent one of the largest Puerto Rican communities in the United States. Since the hurricane, I have worked closely with federal and state authorities to ensure help is delivered to the island in an efficient manner. In addition, I have worked closely with Puerto Rican communities in my Congressional district to answer questions and help them reconnect with friends and family. We need to assure people in these devastated areas Congress will stand with them in the short and long term--provide comfort and immediate needs now and also funds to rebuild infrastructure and restore and strengthen their economy that will sustain well into the future. As these funds are dispersed, it is imperative they are managed responsibly so storm victims don't become targets of shady outsiders or crooked business owners. This week, President Trump once again let down the people of Puerto Rico by announcing he plans to prematurely pull the military, FEMA and other critical agency support from the island. This approach is irresponsible and dangerous. The island and its people are still fragile and need to rebuild, not be burdened with further anxiety and uncertainty.