mr. speaker , i rise in strong support of h.r. 8 , legislation that would permanently repeal the death tax , a tax that haunts millions of small business owners and farmers nationwide . 
the last thing the federal government should be doing is taking more money from small business owners and farmers , and curtailing further economic growth . 
they are the backbone that drives our economy forward . 
i commend mr. hulshof for his leadership on this issue and praise his vision to continue lowering the federal tax burden . 
throughout my twenty-two years in congress , i have proudly voted for every major tax cut initiative considered by the house . 
cutting taxes is one of my highest priorities . 
i remain convinced that letting americans keep more of what they earn will help stimulate the economy and create more jobs . 
people will not hide this much-needed relief under their mattress or store it in their closet ; instead they will purchase necessary goods and services . 
an increased demand for these goods and services will require more employees ; therefore , providing incentives for businesses to hire more workers -- putting unemployed americans back on the job and providing a framework for long-term economic growth . 
the key to growing our economy is simple -- allow americans to keep more of their own money to spend , save , and invest . 
my favorite four-letter word -- do n't worry , it 's a four letter word that can be used in polite company -- is jobs . 
permanently repealing the death tax will create new jobs across the nation . 
cutting taxes is not unprecedented . 
since 2001 , congress has repeatedly passed legislation , which i 'm proud to say i voted for , to lower the federal tax burden . 
for example , we voted to extend relief from the marriage penalty tax , a burdensome tax on married couples for doing nothing more than saying `` i do. '' we also voted to extend the alternative minimum tax reforms ( amt ) , which is the right step toward making sure the amt applies only to those people it was designed to cover , not working families just trying to make ends meet . 
we also supported a measure to extend the 10 % bracket to lower taxes for hard working , low-income families . 
finally , we voted to extend the $ 1 , 000 child tax credit . 
it only makes sense to take the next step and permanently repeal the death tax . 
i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 8 , and put an end to this unfair , unjust , and inefficient burden on our economy . 
