{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2012-12-31-pt1-PgH7472", "2012-12-31", 112, 2, null, null, "MIDNIGHT MAGIC", "HOUSE", "HOUSE", "ALLOTHER", "H7472", "H7472", "[{\"name\": \"Peter A. DeFazio\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "158 Cong. Rec. H7472", "Congressional Record, Volume 158 Issue 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)]\n[House]\n[Page H7472]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                              {time}  0910\n                             MIDNIGHT MAGIC\n\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from\nOregon (Mr. DeFazio) for 5 minutes.\n  Mr. DeFAZIO. All but those in total denial--and there is a lot of\nthat inside the D.C. Beltway--would admit that we need a combination of\nincreased revenues, taxes--the gentleman before me disagrees--and\nspending cuts to restore fiscal stability. Especially with a still-weak\neconomy, we don't need blanket tax increases that would hit the\nhardworking families of the middle class, and we don't need brain-dead,\nacross-the-board spending cuts that mete out the same percentage cuts\nto wasteful and unneeded programs and high-functioning essential\nprograms. We can do better, and the American people deserve better.\n  In that spirit, I offer the following ideas. Pick one of the numbers\nfloating out there. Let's restore the Clinton-era tax rates on income\nover $250,000, $400,000, $450,000. They are bargaining out there.\nWhatever. We are restoring the Clinton-era tax rates. We're not going\nback to Eisenhower. We're talking about Clinton-era tax rates for\nincome above that level.\n  Restore the same Clinton-era tax rates on unearned income when there\nwere a lot more productive investments out there, delay the across-the-\nboard cuts for 30 days, give the new Congress a chance to make smarter,\ntargeted cuts of equal value, and fix the Medicare reimbursement so\nthat seniors aren't threatened in the middle of the month from not\nbeing able to get medical care, and extend unemployment. Come on, don't\nbe cruel to people who can't find jobs and want to find them, although\nsome on that side deny they're looking for work.\n  It's not the specifics really that I want to talk about here. It's\nthe procedure. That's what will solve this because this is Washington.\nIt's not about reality.\n  Now, here it is: the midnight magic plan. We begin debate at 10 p.m.\nFor the first 2 hours, everybody can go to their usual corners. The\nRepublicans could decry the increased taxes on job creators, on income\nover $250,000 or $400,000 or $450,000. The Republicans could stay true\nto their pledge to Grover Norquist to never, ever raise taxes for any\npurpose, never. Democrats could say it's not enough; it doesn't restore\ntax fairness. We could have the usual debate for 2 hours. At midnight\nwe stop, sing ``Auld Lang Syne,'' come together a little bit, and then\nthe midnight magic.\n  Now, the same bill is cutting taxes for 98 percent of the working\npeople in the United States of America, the Democrats would have\nprotected Social Security and Medicare, and both sides get a chance\nover 30 days to legislate--God forbid we should legislate around here--\ntargeted cuts instead of the meat-axe approach to cutting spending. I\nthink that's the best we can do for the American people. We\ntransmogrify this bill with the magic of midnight from one that\nincreases taxes on the job creators--income over $250,000 or $450,000--\nto one that actually gives tax cuts to 98 percent of America, something\nboth sides can go home and brag about.\n  No cliff.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2012-12-31-pt1-PgH7472"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.689033000729978, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}