House Dems Delay Tax Cut Vote
The Washington Post reports:
A liberal uprising over House procedures on Thursday was delaying a final vote on a far-reaching tax compromise brokered by the White House and Republican leaders.
Dozens of Democrats were demanding an opportunity to cast a vote to change an estate tax provision they view as too generous for the wealthy without also approving the rest of the package as approved by the Senate. That package also contains a two-year extension of George W. Bush administration tax policies that benefit families at all income levels, including the very wealthiest Americans. Democrats have complained for years about those provisions, and want an opportunity to vote against them.
The delay was unlikely to derail the package, which is intended to prevent tax rates from rising in January for virtually every household. But lawmakers and senior Democrats aides said the revolt appeared likely to postpone the a final vote on the $858 billion measure until later in the day.
The measure sailed through the Senate on Wednesday, with senators voting 81 to 19 to keep the cuts in place for families at all income levels for another two years.
House Democratic leaders were planning to stage two votes, one on an alternative package that would allow Democrats to express their dissatisfaction without blocking final passage of the compromise bill.
Although Senate Democrats yielded to GOP demands to preserve lower tax rates on income, capital gains and dividends for even the wealthiest households, they won a huge dose of economic medicine in return. In 2011, the package would reduce the Social Security payroll tax by two percentage points for every American worker, permit businesses to write off 100 percent of new equipment purchases and guarantee up to 99 weeks of income support for jobless workers in states that have been hardest hit by the recent recession.
The package would add even more to the rising national debt over the next decade than the $814 billion stimulus President Obama pushed through Congress soon after taking office. But the strong Senate vote underscored the concern among lawmakers in both parties about the sluggish pace of recovery and an unemployment rate stuck near 10 percent.
In a statement celebrating the Senate vote - his first big bipartisan victory since Republicans strengthened their hand in Congress in the November midterm elections - Obama exhorted House members to set aside their concerns and support a package he described as "a win for American families, American businesses and our economic recovery."
"I know that not every member of Congress likes every piece of this bill, and it includes some provisions that I oppose. But as a whole, this package will grow our economy, create jobs and help middle class families across the country," Obama said. "As this bill moves to the House of Representatives, I hope that members from both parties can come together in a spirit of common purpose to protect American families and our economy as a whole by passing this essential economic package."
The White House has not produced an economic analysis of the tax package, having been stung by its overly optimistic forecast that the 2009 stimulus would prevent the jobless rate from rising above 8 percent. Unemployment stood at 9.8 percent in November.
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