{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2012-12-31-pt1-PgH7473-2", "2012-12-31", 112, 2, null, null, "FISCAL CLIFF AND BUSH TAX CUT HISTORY", "HOUSE", "HOUSE", "ALLOTHER", "H7473", "H7473", "[{\"name\": \"Mo Brooks\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "158 Cong. Rec. H7473", "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 H7473]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                              {time}  0920\n                 FISCAL CLIFF AND BUSH TAX CUT HISTORY\n\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from\nAlabama (Mr. Brooks) for 5 minutes.\n  Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Speaker, the Bush tax cuts' history illuminates why\nAmerican families face huge tax increases on January 1. The Bush tax\ncuts had two purposes. First, stimulate the economy, create jobs, cut\nunemployment, and cut the deficit. Second, cut taxes to help American\nfamilies take care of their own needs.\n  In just 3 years, thanks to the Bush tax cuts, unemployment dropped\nfrom a high of 6.3 percent in 2003 to a low of 4.4 percent in 2006; 7\nmillion American jobs were created between 2003 and 2006.\n  Most importantly and paradoxically to those who do not understand\neconomics, this robust economic growth cut America's deficit 60\npercent--from $413 billion in FY 2003-2004 to $161 billion in FY 2006-\n2007. By every economic measure, the Bush tax cuts were a spectacular\nsuccess.\n  The Bush tax cuts, part 1, became law in 2001. Republican Congressmen\nand Senators voted 258-2--99 percent--to cut taxes and protect family\nincomes. In contrast, Democrat Congressmen and Senators who now say\nthey are for protecting family incomes voted 184-40--a whopping 81\npercent--against American families and for higher taxes.\n  The Bush tax cuts, part 2, became law in 2003. Republican Congressmen\nand Senators voted 272-3--that's 99 percent--to cut taxes and protect\nfamily incomes. In contrast, Democrat Congressmen and Senators who now\nsay they are for protecting family incomes voted 245-9--an eye-popping\n96 percent--against American families and for higher taxes.\nUnfortunately, Senate Democrats had enough votes to prevent the Bush\ntax cuts from being permanent. But for these Senate Democrats, America\nwould not be facing a fiscal cliff today.\n  President Obama and a radically different Congress, controlled by\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,\nrevisited the Bush tax cuts. In two separate votes in February 2009 and\nDecember 2010, Democrats could have increased taxes on the wealthy if\nthey'd really believed what they now say.\n  Did they raise taxes on the wealthy? No. Why not?\n  Democrats could have permanently protected lower- and middle-income\nfamilies from higher taxes if Democrats had really believed what they\nnow say.\n  Did they? No. Why not?\n  Mr. Speaker, why would a Democrat Congress and White House say they\nwant to tax the wealthy but not do it?\n  Why would a Democrat Congress and White House say they want permanent\ntax relief for lower- and middle-income taxpayers yet not give it?\n  The answer is simple: Washington Democrats voted twice against tax\nincreases on the wealthy and twice voted against giving permanent tax\nrelief to lower- and middle-income families so that they could run\ncampaigns on base human emotions like greed, envy, and class warfare,\nand campaign against the very tax policies Democrats kept in place,\nthus deflecting attention from the Democrats' abysmal record on the\neconomy--trillion-dollar deficits and a $16 trillion national debt.\n  To their credit, in 2012, their strategy worked. Democrats won the\nWhite House and the Senate. Ultimately, however, American voters will\nlearn from history and truth will prevail. Ultimately, the American\npeople will look at their property taxes, income taxes, estate taxes,\nsales taxes, and every other tax that they are being forced to pay, and\nthey will ask: Who taxes and undermines my ability to take care of my\nfamily?\n  History proves Democrats raise taxes whenever they believe they can\nget away with it. Conversely, history proves that Republicans protect\nas many American families as possible from Democrat tax increases.\n  Mr. Speaker, that is the fight the Republican House fights today.\nRepublicans will fight today and Republicans will fight tomorrow to\nprotect as many American families as possible from the tax increases\nDemocrats passed when they controlled Congress and the White House, and\nit is that difference, Mr. Speaker, that caused American voters to give\nRepublicans in the 2010 and 2012 elections their largest number of\nHouse of Representative victories in more than six decades.\n  Fighting Democrat tax increases: now that's a mandate.\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-PgH7473-2"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 126.26435398124158, "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"}