Pay if he said, my principle is nobody should drowned off my beach. If i cannot save them all, i will not save any. Americans watched as thousands of middleclass jobs are sacrifice on the ideological obama next year, this country will be a lot wiser. Until then, lets save the weekend. The done ins time has expired. I am pleased to yield three minutes. The gentleman from michigan is recognized for 3 minutes. This is an important moment. These bills move the nation dangerously closer to the cliff. With only 11 days before our nation will go over. They make finding Common Ground far more difficult, with only 11 days left to find it. These bills are not a plan. They are a ploy. They are to know where. They undermine trust so essential for agreement. We just heard it. The republicans claim letting the tax rate go up from 35 to 39. 6 on income over 1 million is not a tax hike because it would happen on its own. Then they say if the tax cut would go up on income below 1 million by happening on its own, it would be the biggest tax increase in history. That is inconsistent. Far worse than the hypocrisy is the way they design their tax provisions. For those with incomes over 1 million, they provide a tax cut of at least 50,000. They raise only onethird of the revenue contained in the speakers discussions in the white house and far less than proposed by the president. Talk about undermining trust. They would raise taxes on 11 million middleclass tax payers. There is silence, stone hearted silence on 2 million unemployed workers looking for work who would lose their insurance immediately on december 29. Silence on the 27 . In a deeply cynical move, so cynical, the republicans have decided to offer another bill to put off some of the sequester. They pay for it how . Deep and ugly cuts impacting seniors, kids. The republicans are tying themselves into knots. In doing so, they are tying into knots the chances for our nation not going over the cliff. Vote no on these bills that take us backward, that undercut trust, that increase the chances of going over the fiscal cliff. This is not a plan. This is a ploy. I would like to inquire of my friend how many speakers she has remaining. It looks like a couple. I will reserve the balance of my time. I would be happy to tell you. Four. The gem and reserves. Thank you. Three minutes right now. The gentleman from massachusetts. Recognize for three minutes. Thank you for the time. Just when i thought the process could not get worse, last night, the republicans reached a new low. We were originally told we were meeting on the plan the tax bill, which continues the prow republican tradition of protecting tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of middle class families and poor people. Then we were told there would be a new bill that was introduced in the middle of the hearing. I am not sure what to call this one. Plan b 2. 0. It cuts 36 billion from the program, taking food off the tables of struggling american spirit millions of households would see a cut in their benefits. Millions of families would have less food tomorrow than they do today. Hundreds of thousands of kids would lose their access to free school meals. It is enough to make ebenezer scrooge embarrassed. The bill threatens medicare, childrens programs, education, infrastructure, and it threatens our economy as a whole. Does anyone really believe there is not a single dollar to be saved anywhere in the pentagon . The American People have spoken. They have made it loud and clear they want a balanced approach that casts the wealthiest americans to pay a little bit more. It protect our seniors, children, and our most vulnerable neighbors. The Republican Leaders refuse to listen. Let me say another thing. I would say my republican freshman colleague i remember the promises of things you said would change. I would say, you own this now. You have officially become part of the problem, if not the problem. It is a vote against accountability. Let me say this, my republican friends have made it on fashionable to worry about the poor and the elderly and the vulnerable. I urge my colleagues not to turn your backs on the most needy. Lets balance our budget in a way that does not lower the quality of life or decrease the standard of living. We can do so much better. Instead of doing this, you should be negotiating with the president. Go back to the negotiating president and stop the game. I yield 5 minutes to my friend from georgia, a very hardworking member of the house committee. 5 minutes. I think my chairman for yielding me the time. I came down here to talk about the tax policy and my support for the rule, but when folks back home ask me what is wrong with this place, i will Start Talking about this debate. There is a serious topic on the floor right now. This fiscal cliff, this is a serious issue for our economy, working families, and for Small Businesses we are counting on bringing us out of recession. Everyone believes that. As we are down here trying to have that discussion, in the short, 11 days we have left, i hear that our tax package, which does exactly what the president asks, i think it is wrong, i think we ought to keep tax rates low for everyone, but the president says no. This bill does that. As my friend reminded me, when i ran as part of this freshman class, i said, lets try to make things more simple. We know what happens at the end of this year. We know the Christmas Tree bills that come rolling to the floor, where you handle 100 different unrelated things at a time. I would be interested in pulling folks without a voting card. I would be interested in knowing what folks listening to this debate believe is happening. I have been told that this tax bill throws americans off unemployment. It does no such thing. No such thing. Do we need to deal with unemployment . Yes we do. In an unemployment bill. I have been told this tax bill to cut payments to doctors. It does no such thing. There is not one line in this bill that does any such thing. Do we need to deal with medicare . Of course. Do we need to jumble all of these things together in a straightforward tax bill . The answer is no. I am told by my friend is not just silence on these issues. It is stone hearted to be silent. Who believes we advance this debate by calling the absence of a provision stone hearted on the part of the authors . Do not tell me about violating trust. Do not tell me about how it is polls ought to work properly together. We have the opportunity right now. Folks are throwing it away line by line by line. My friend comes to the floor and he says, this bill throws folks off food stamps. Nonsense. Every single time i go to a town hall meeting, folks believe that if only we eliminate the fraud in government, we will balance the budget. Due to the spending, we are way far out of balance. Fraud will not do it. That will not be enough. What the underlying bill does to eliminate the defense sequester cuts president obama has called dangerous, it says, the only people who should get food stamps are people who qualify for food stamps. That is right. The underlying bill says the only folks who should get food stamps are those who qualify. It turns out, like every federal program, there is fraud. Some folks are receiving taxpayersponsored benefits today who have not earned them, who do not find themselves entitled to them by virtue of their circumstances. Because this bill aims to eliminate the fraud, folks come to the floor and say, why are republicans throwing hungry people out during christmas. It is outrageous. We cannot have a conversation about serious things in a serious time. The outrageous pointed to last night, what happened last night is exactly what i would hope would happen in a conversation like this. Almost to a person, every democratic member in that rules committee said, all we have in front of us is a tax bill. All we have in front of us is a tax bill and every one in america knows the problem is not taxes. Where are the spending cuts . The rules Committee Staff went to work immediately. And found a package not that had never been seen or read before, but one that had passed this body in a bipartisan way. They said, the criticism from my colleagues is right. We need to do this and we did. An additional 30 seconds. I think my chairman for the additional time. There is a fence in this country that folks in washington d. C. Just want to argue about things, that they do not want to solve anything at all. You made accurate criticism last the night that i am glad we addressed. We have a straightforward tax bill today. A straightforward bill. This is not the wrong way to do things. This is the right way to do things. With only 11 days left, lets pass this rule. A message from the president. I am directed by the president to deliver to the house of representatives a message in writing. I am pleased to yield two minutes. Two minutes. Thank you. I right in opposition to this rule and the underlying legislation. But this is to deliver more tax breaks to the wealthy. Under this legislation, those making over 1 million a year will receive a tax cut. Meanwhile, 25 million working families will take an average of 1,000 more in taxes. For those families struggling to find work in this economy, this bill is equally bad. 2 million americans will lose Unemployment Benefits next month, pushing them into the cold. Retirees and seniors also, with a 27 cut in medicare payments. 50 million seniors will see their health care in danger. What American People are watching right here, right now, it is a tragic comedy. The other side knows quite well even if this legislation passes today, it is going nowhere. Here we are. Time is running out. Rather than coming out with a real compromise, we are playing another game of charades. I urge my colleagues to reject this bill so we can come up with a solution that will become law. Address fiscal challenges while protecting families. May i inquire how much time on each side . 7 and 14 minutes. The gentleman from new york. Thank you. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from texas. Recognized for 3 minutes. I thank the gentle lady and the chairman. When i mention the words Hurricane Sandy and the tragedy in newton, connecticut, many would wonder what do they have in common. An enormous gun tragedy and the loss of 26 lives, and americans suffering from a devastating storm. Our hearts go out to those babies lost. It speaks to americans in need. That is why i am so trouble to be on the floor today. The framework we have says to america when you are in need, we will not be prepared to help you. What is disappointing, and i know for the speaker, it is probably the same case. Just about three days ago, we thought there was a deal between the white house and the framework offered and the leadership of this house. It is disappointing. In the course of a couple of days, we have come to a situation where this plan, plan b, raises only about 300 billion from high income households. The centers for Budget Priority suggests millionaires would get tax cuts over 1 million. What would the middle class get . Plan b allows the old bush tax cuts to continue to continue the deductions for the rich, giving them more opportunities to keep their money. We will lose 400 million under this plan in high income revenues. Disappointing. At the same time, there is a thought we should cut Social Security by changing the way it is calculated. If they buy food, that means they need cheap Social Security. We thought there was a deal. I cannot agree with that at all. Cutting Social Security. I cannot agree with recalculating. What i will tell you is this plan raises taxes rather than reducing it as the president wants to do, as this house of democrats wants to do, as the senate bill of democrats wants to sign. This raises taxes 1,000 on 25 million working families. Then there is a mysterious bill that suggests we are in the business of making cuts. Do you know what that will do . There is no sequester plan in this plan that is here. Education, research, national security. It cuts the hardworking americans and it cuts off 2 million of them. It cuts out doctors. May i ask my friend to yield . I just wanted to inquire. I did not understand there is no sequester here. We are dealing with the threat of a sequester and our idea is to hundred 38 billion in spending reductions within the reconciliation bill that passed the house next may. I did not understand. I will yield for an additional 30 seconds. When we started out with plan b, there was no sequester plan. There was a mysterious offering last evening. There is a plan to respond to this question. 238 billion reduction over a 10year period of time. I thank the gentleman. In the original plan b, there was no sequester planned. You were right in the Creative Work of your staff. You filed the reconciliation that had been addressed. A lot of us voted against it. All of us voted against it. We understand that plan will have no traction. I thank the gentleman for his work. There is no sequester plan. There was no sequestered plan for plan b. It cut by 27 , doctors there it 50 million americans will have their health care in jeopardy. My comment as i close, it is in disappointment, because we have americans who are looking to us back to work with the president , to work with the speaker, and to find a way to be able to answer the question. I yield back. I reserve the balance of my time. It has been said here before the bill mysteriously appeared last night and pass the house in a bipartisan way. It was bipartisan opposition. No democrat voted for it and 16 republicans voted no. Recognized for one minute. I rise in opposition to this rule. In the dead of night, five days before christmas, House Republicans released legislation they are rushing to the floor to gut funding for health care, Food Assistance, and other vital social services. Christmas is a season of giving. Republicans are taking food off the table from millions of American Families that are struggling in the tough economic times, like cutting Food Assistance by 36 billion. Taking the unemployment lifeline away from more than 2 million americans who are trying to get back on their feet. Taking money away from grants that provide Productive Services for abused children. Why would republicans insist on taking so much away from our families during this Holiday Season . So they could give an average 50,000 tax breaks for millionaires. Stand up for millions of children, workers, families who are facing a real cliff. The gentleman from california. Speaker, i am happy to yield two minutes to a very thoughtful colleague from the rules committee. Two minutes. Thank you. Lets review. We have a fiscal cliff occurring at the beginning of next year. 12 short days. That means taxes go up for everybody who pays taxes and acrosstheboard spending cuts. The democrat alternative was rejected in a bipartisan basis earlier this year. Our bill has been rejected is not passed versus the other bill. These Business Owners employ many tens of thousands of people in america in the middle class. The bill before us is a comprehensive bill. It gives us we have heard testimony after testimony from Business Owners give us certainty. The democrat alternative is not even comprehensive. Does not include the state tax. We will be right back here again December Next year. This gives us certainty and employers certainty. Job greater certainty. Americans certainty they will not ever pay the tax again. This is the right medicine for 99. 8 of americans to prevent them from seeing their taxes go up on january 1 and it gives us an opportunity in the next session of congress to provide comprehensive tax reform to simplify our tax code to give us more certainty and more competitiveness so the middle class can grow and prosper and we can improve our economy. I knew that my time. The gentle lady. I am delighted to yield three minutes from the gentleman in tennessee. 3 minutes. Thank you. I appreciate the time and opportunity to speak on this measure. I am concerned about the fiscal cliff. It is important. President obama has tried togone from what he was elected on, increasing taxes for fairness, a 400,000. That was not enough. This proposal goes to 1 million. 400,000 is plenty comfortable. President has gone a long way. There is a lot of revenue being the fact is lost between 400,000. 10 dollars million. We need that revenue to rectify the wrongs. This bill has cut funding. The National Institutes of health. Our physical cliff. I want to talk to you about how this fiscal cliff affects the physical cliff. It comes up with Research Dollars to allow for our live to be extended. And bettered. At duke university, there is a great Lung Transplant program. Headed by dr. Robert davis. They need the money to perfect the Lung Transplant program that is the best in the country. It is only a 50 chance that a person will live eight years with a Lung Transplant. And they do not know why, and they need to find out, and it is National Institutes of health funds that will help them find out. In my home town, there is a hospital. One of the finest liver transplant doctors in the country. There are people like this throughout the country. Findingudes, they are cures forchildhood cancers and childhood illnesses. They should not be cut ever. They should be increased. Some of the funds will go to those earning more than 400,000, those getting tax relief. They do not know right now they may be people who need that aha transplant or some other medical science cure. We find these cures and new procedures to research. Doctors need to be paid, hospitals need to be paid, Research Needs to be undertaken. I believe the president has done a great distance on the fiscal cliff to get to 400,000. He has talked about cutting programs that deal with the most vulnerable people, the poorest, on Social Security tax increases, which i oppose. Cost of living increases, excuse me. The president has tried. I hope this bill fails and we deal with t