mr. speaker , i rise day in opposition to h.r. 4297 , the tax relief extension reconciliation act .  i do so because i do not believe we should be cutting taxes for the wealthiest americans while we are at war and at the same time cutting programs for our most vulnerable populations and adding to the staggering debt load of our children and grandchildren .  this bill is not fiscally responsible , and we neglect the ramifications of the budget priorities of the majority party to the detriment of the country .  governments on every level -- from local to federal -- are running record deficits ; the number of uninsured americans is on the rise ; people continue to go without heat , food or shelter as an abnormally cold winter persists ; and the cost of health care and education continue to rise .  the tax cuts contained in h.r. 4297 overwhelmingly benefit affluent investors in the wake of the house cutting programs for the poor by $ 50 billion in the name of deficit reduction .  we continue to spend over $ 6 billion per month in iraq and cut taxes while asking the least well off to pay for it .  it 's reverse robin hood -- taking from the poor and giving to the rich -- and this is something i can not and will not support .  we must take stock and look at the reality of our fiscal situation -- deficits are rising with no end in sight -- while the poor , the sick and the elderly pay the price .  i believe tax cuts can be part of a reasonable approach to the federal budget , but that we have reached a point with our deficit and debt where we must exercise extreme caution in using them .  as robert bixby of the nonpartisan concord coalition was quoted in today 's washington post , `` if they ( republicans ) want to cut taxes , fine , but they are going to have to cut spending by at least that much to help the deficit , and clearly they are not willing to do that .  they ( republicans ) have to start looking reality in the face. '' the $ 5.6 trillion surplus that existed in 2000 has been squandered .  future generations will pick up the tab .  the republican tax cut bill is bad policy and i urge my colleagues to join me in voting no on h.r. 4297 .  