Plan B

Floor Speech

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Republican so-called ``Plan B'' bill. Not only would it not address the so-called fiscal cliff--it's really a human cliff--but it's a pure political gimmick to distract from the Republicans' failure to negotiate in good faith.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot grow our economy or reduce our deficits by making even more cuts on the backs of children, veterans, our seniors, our disabled, and the millions of Americans in poverty. Low-income and middle-income Americans have already been slammed by $1.5 trillion in cuts to the safety net, mind you, that they rely on every day.

A fiscally responsible and balanced approach would be to immediately pass the $1.5 trillion in new revenue to match the cuts that we've already made, while protecting middle class tax cuts.

Mr. Speaker, 98 percent of the American people have already paid their fair share; it's time for the wealthiest 2 percent to do the same. Let's not forget the over 2 million who will lose their unemployment benefits December 29. Mr. Speaker, please don't let them fall off this human cliff during this holiday season. We should extend this today.

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