Scott Supports the Spirit of Christmas

(Washington D.C.)- Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-3) last night spoke on the Floor of the House of Representatives and urged Congress to protect the spirit of Christmas.  “The spirit of Christmas demands generosity and goodwill towards others,” said Scott.  He went on to point out that “instead of legislation that respects the spirit of Christmas, Congress in just these past few weeks has passed a budget that includes mean-spirited attacks on the least of us.”  His remarks were in response to House Resolution 579 that sought to “protect” the symbols of Christmas.

Scott believes that the resolution will divert the people’s attention away from what Congress has really done this past month, including cutting the food stamp program, health care for the working poor, student aid, and dramatically reducing the child support upon which single parents depend.  At the same time, Congress has cut taxes for the wealthiest members of American society and increased the national debt.  “We ought to express our passion for Christmas through deeds, not words,” Rep. Scott insisted.

Rep. Scott’s full remarks are below.

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 “Madam Speaker, this resolution purports to protect the symbols of Christmas, but what really needs to be protected are not the symbols of Christmas, but rather the spirit of Christmas. The spirit of Christmas demands generosity and goodwill towards others.

 “Instead of legislation that respects the spirit of Christmas, Congress in just these past few weeks has passed a budget that includes mean-spirited attacks on the least of us. For those who are hungry, we are cutting food stamps. For those who are sick, we are cutting Medicaid. For those who are in prison, we are imposing senseless mandatory minimums. For others we are ignoring increases in heating costs and cutting student loans. At the same time we are cutting those programs to help the least of us, we are cutting taxes for the wealthiest in society.

 “Madam Speaker, we ought to express our passion for Christmas through deeds, not words; and we should not be distracted from our responsibility to uphold the spirit of Christmas as we consider the effects our actions on the Federal budget will have on the least of us during this holiday season.

 “For these reasons I oppose this resolution.”

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