{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://doggett.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/those-silk-stockings-its-very-merry-christmas-indeed", "For those with silk stockings, it's a very Merry Christmas indeed.", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "TX", "Lloyd Doggett", "D000399", "doggett.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Tax Policy Subcommittee and a conferee to the House and Senate Conference Committee, spoke twice on the House Floor against the Republican tax bill that is expected to be voted on in the House. You can view his remarks here and here. In part, Rep. Doggett said:\nFor those withsilk stockings, it's a veryMerry Christmas indeed.The billionaires get stuffed. Most everyone else get coal.It's like a White Elephant gift exchange  the billionaires grab thegood gifts,and the leftovers go to working families though they get the bill for everything.\nThey have camouflagedthis corporate tax giveaway withsome changes for individuals.Who gets those?Well, it's a Who's Who of notyou: The Trump family, real estatemoguls, and their billionairebuddies.\nHere is the full text of his two House floor speeches:\nFor those withsilk stockings, it's a veryMerry Christmas indeed.You get coal.The billionaires get stuffed.It's like a White Elephant gift exchange  the billionaires grab thegood gifts,and the leftovers go to working families though they get the bill for everything. And how many millions ofdollars the Trump family willpersonally stuff in theirpockets cannot be preciselydetermined only because ofRepublican collusion continuing to cover up Trump'spersonal tax returns. Excluding the public, refusingto even permit Democrats tooffer an amendment, Republicansdumped this proposal out thisweekend and now demand animmediate vote.The dangers lurking in thisbill for economic opportunity  and for tax fairness  are very real,but they are overshadowed bythe dangers to our democracyfrom these Trump tactics toimpose his rule on America.Republicans decided the onlyway to pass their program wasto hide it.Let's reject it today.\nTheworld's biggest corporate taxdodgers get the most out of thisbill, a 40 percent reduction in thecorporate tax rate, and theright to bring back thoseprofits they have hidden inCaribbean hideaways for pennieson the dollar.Another loophole will encouragejobs in America to be exportedabroad  a long commute to work if thejob is in Europe or Asia.Of course, they have camouflagedthis corporate tax giveaway withsome changes for individuals.Who gets those?Well, it's a Who's Who of notyou: The Trump family, real estatemoguls, and their billionairebuddies.Disguised as a middle-class taxrelief, this wretched billtargets the middle class with adime of every dollar that is inthe bill.What most Americans will reallyget is more debt, and the coming cuts that Republicans insist on making to Medicare, Medicaid,and educational opportunity.Tax fraud is criminal, butpassing this fraudulent tax billapparently is not.\n###\nFollow Lloyd Doggett\nFacebook:www.Facebook.com/RepLloydDoggett|Twitter:@RepLloydDoggett|Instagram:@RepLloydDoggett", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://doggett.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/those-silk-stockings-its-very-merry-christmas-indeed"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.408059149980545, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}