mr. speaker , i yield myself the balance of my time . 
mr. speaker , what the majority is doing today is wrong . 
we need to help family farmers and small businesses . 
we all agree on that , and the substitute that the gentleman from north dakota ( mr. pomeroy ) xz4003230 puts forth does that , with very generous exemptions . 
but what the majority is suggesting is that somehow we need to do something to help the three-tenths of 1 percent of the richest people in this country at a time when they present budgets that cut medicaid , that cut veterans benefits , that cut educational programs , that cut programs for the poor . 
i mean , what are you doing ? 
how can you come here with a straight face and say that we need to help the three-tenths of 1 percent richest people in this country , when so many people who are struggling in the middle class , so many struggling to get in the middle class , are having such a difficult time ? 
this is wrong what you are doing . 
mr. speaker , at the end of this debate , i will call for a vote on the previous question ; and if the previous question is defeated i will offer an amendment to the rule . 
my amendment would take the cost difference between the republicans ' estate tax cut bill , which cost $ 290 billion , and the pomeroy estate tax cut bill , which costs $ 72 billion , and shift that difference to the social security trust fund . 
we are talking about $ 218 billion that could go right into the social security trust fund . 
the republican leadership and president bush claim that there is a social security crisis . 
if they truly believe that there is a crisis , they should step up to the plate and support this effort to shore up the social security trust fund now . 
the pomeroy substitute will exempt 99.7 percent of all estates . 
99.7 percent . 
with this amendment we can restore $ 218 billion back to the social security trust fund and help save social security for future generations . 
mr. speaker , there are a lot of people on the other side of the aisle who go back home and do town hall meetings and tell their constituents that they are for protecting social security . 
well , this is a vote to show that you want to protect social security . 
mr. speaker , i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment immediately prior to the vote on the previous question . 
