Hare Statement on Tax Day

Statement

Hare Statement on Tax Day

Congressman Phil Hare (D-IL) today released the following statement on Tax Day.

"Americans are understandably anxious this Tax Day as they grapple with an increasingly fragile economy. I respect those citizens who will attend tea parties today to protest among other things our rising deficits.

"But I have to wonder where the outcry was when President Bush and his Republican allies in Congress turned a $5.6 trillion projected surplus into a nearly $5 trillion deficit. Why were there no tea parties after the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 which put money into the pockets of the very wealthy at the expense of nearly everyone else? Where were the demonstrations after Republicans spent $10-12 billion a month on an ill-advised war in Iraq and rammed through a Medicare Part D program that cost $400 billion and actually made it harder and more expensive for seniors to get their prescription medicines?

"In a few short months, the Democratic Congress has passed an economic recovery package that will create and save 3 to 4 million jobs and give a tax cut to 95 percent of working Americans. Our recently passed budget also includes $1.5 trillion in tax cuts for middle class families and reduces non-defense discretionary spending to its lowest level in 50 years.

"To put it simply, our policies will provide tax relief to working families who desperately need it and ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share once again, all while protecting the economy. This shift should be celebrated, not condemned."

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