Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendment to House Amendment to Senate Amendment to H.R. 4853, Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARTON of Texas. I thank the distinguished chairman-to-be of the Rules Committee, Mr. Dreier of California, my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, this is not a bad compromise that's before us, but it is also not the best compromise. It's not a bad deal, but it's not the best deal.

The gentleman from California who spoke on the Democratic side just a few minutes ago I think said it best when he said, In January, our Republican friends will be at the table. We are making a compromise today on the Republican side, in my opinion, that we don't have to make. I think the tax cuts should be permanent, not temporary. I think the additional spending should be paid for now, not just added to the deficit.

A funny thing happened in November: We elected over 80 new Republicans. The majority is going from about 255 Democrats to 242 Republicans. You cannot tell me that the week before Christmas that Americans in the business community are deciding what their capital investments are going to be for 2011. Those decisions have already been made. So I am going to vote against the rule and, with reluctance, vote against the bill, not because it's a bad compromise but because we can do better. And I fully expect in January, when the Republicans become the majority party in the House, that we will do better.

So again, this is not the worst bill that has ever been before us, but it could be better and it should be better, and so I would ask my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the rule and ``no'' on the bill.

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