Posted on 09/26/2010 11:33:45 AM PDT by jazusamo
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) called Congress' expected adjournment before acting on the Bush-era tax cuts the "most irresponsible thing that I have seen since I have been in Washington, D.C.
"And I've been here a while," he added.
Appearing on "Fox News Sunday" alongside Chief Deputy Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Boehner slammed Democrats for demurring on the tax vote, saying it "sounds like they're just going to punt the ball until a lame-duck session."
"I think she's afraid," McCarthy said of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "She's got 37 Democrats in her own party that say they want to extend all the tax cuts."
But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), appearing later on the same program, blamed the Senate while acknowledging "I doubt we will" get to tax cuts before leaving.
"The Senate has refused to move forward on that issue," Hoyer said. "It would be a specious act" for the House to rush to extend the cuts.
Democrats have "absolutely pledged by the end of the year" to counter what he called a "Republican increase in taxes on the middle class" -- as the Bush tax cuts had an expiration built in.
"There will be no increase in middle-income taxes," Hoyer vowed.
On NBC's "Meet the Press,"Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said "the House will vote on the tax cuts before the end of the year" and accused Republicans of holding tax cuts "hostage" to get the upper income brackets included.
When pressed by host David Gregory on whether Democrats would leave for the campaign recess without taking up tax cuts, Van Hollen said, "We are absolutely going to get this done before the end of the year. We may very well take it up before midterms."
The National Republican Campaign Committee later issued a statement firing back at Van Hollen for "doubling down on the exact same failed Obama-Pelosi policies of the last two years."
"By leaving town without an up-or-down vote to stop the Obama tax hike, Democrats are giving middle-class families and small business owners one more reason to replace the arrogance and irresponsibility of this Congress with Republicans who are serious about getting this economy moving again," NRCC spokesman Paul Lindsay said.
When pressed by Fox host Chris Wallace on whether he would be able to support just middle-class tax cuts, as the speaker had previously said he would if that was his only option on the table, Boehner firmly said he wanted all of the tax cuts extended.
"I have made it clear I'm for extending all of the current tax rates," Boehner said. "If [Pelosi is] not willing to have a fair and open debate she can't count on our votes."
On CNN's "State of the Union," House Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said the sticking point was the $250,000 threshold for tax cuts extension in the Senate.
"You know, what it gets down to is we can count and we know we don't have 60 votes for our tax position," Durbin said. "We want to basically say after the election when we still face a deadline, by the end of the year we'll take up all of these tax issues. That to me is the only realistic way to address it."
Boehner said that the uncertainty over the tax cuts was hurting the economy and having its pull on the unemployment rate.
"The American people are asking where are the jobs," Boehner said. "We don't have jobs because of all the uncertainty coming out of this administration and this Congress."
Van Hollen disputed that the extension of all tax cuts would create jobs, pointing out that the tax cuts had existed for nine years. "I don't see all this job creation as a result of those tax cuts," he said. "This story... is nonsense."
"They've tried to mask this as an issue of small businesses," he added.
House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence on "Meet the Press" accused Democrats of insisting on a tax increase in January. "There should be no high priority for Congress" than to vote on the tax cuts, he said, adding it would be "unconscionable" for Congress to recess without an up-or-down vote.
This story was updated at 12:40 p.m.
The ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Sunday that if Democratics aren't willing to act on extending the Bush-era tax cuts before leaving for campaign recess, they might as well step aside.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), appearing on "Fox News Sunday," blamed the Senate for obstructing movement on the tax cuts while acknowledging "I doubt we will" get to the extension before leaving.
"The Senate has refused to move forward on that issue," Hoyer said. "It would be a specious act" for the House to rush to extend the cuts. He added that Democrats would "absolutely" get to the tax cuts before the end of the year.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) fired back with a statement calling the Democrats' move "embarrassing" and accusing the party of being more concerned about winning midterm elections "while abdicating their responsibilities as members of Congress."
"Every Democrat in Congress should be appealing to Speaker Pelosi to allow this vote before adjourning," Issa said.
"If Congressional Democrats refuse to put the interests of the American people ahead of politics, they should just resign, because this whole thing is disgraceful."
Shaking my head in disbelief.
As I posted on another thread:
Actually, I think that the Dems are in a trap.
If the leaders bring up an extension of the Bush tax cuts for the middle class, I think that there are enough Dems worried about their elections that would cross the aisle, and join the republicans in voting to extend all tax cuts.
Which Obama would veto, thus raising taxes on all Americans days before an election, and effectively wiping out the democrat party.
So the Dem leaders can’t bring it up for a vote.
That's 90% of the problem with politicians in total.
It shouldn't be a career, it should be a temporary service.
Priorities...priorities...
I say, “Call their bluff”
Keep bringing up a bill to the floor, make the Dems suppress it.
Yep, and the leftists in the Dem party will go ballistic if the Dems vote to extend the cuts for everyone.
Here’s a little gem I learned today. hedge fund + private equity employees (Masters of Universe) pay only 15% tax instead of the normal tax rate that we suckers pay:
The issue grew more complicated this year when Congress made noises about taxing the sale of private partnerships as ordinary income, not capital gains. This aroused the opposition of thousands of real-estate ventures and other businesses far afield from the hedge-fund world. The government’s aim was to prevent tax lawyers for the partnerships from using more than a dozen loopholes to keep taxes low, but it had the effect of “
“Actually, I think that the Dems are in a trap.”
Agreed. And I think Dianne Feinstein kind of spilled the beans as to their plans when she said, “I don’t know who takes a tax vote in their right mind just before an election.”
The repubs should do all in their power to force a vote.
Although, I concede ignorance on procedures, I don’t know how.
Perhaps fillibuster a motion to dismiss without a vote on taxes?
“The government’s aim was to prevent tax lawyers for the partnerships from using more than a dozen loopholes to keep taxes low, but it had the effect of “
Well isn’t that just too damn bad. They write the freaking laws and then complain when people find loopholes! My goal is to pay as little tax as legally possible!!!
Excellent analysis, and of course, that is the precise reason the Democrats will NOT vote on extending the tax cuts before the election.
Right on the money.
The ‘RATS are trying to do something, ANYTHING, to stop the November tsunami.
Heh, heh, heh
I love watching them squirm and they’re not going to stop it. :)
“The repubs should do all in their power to force a vote.
Although, I concede ignorance on procedures, I don’t know how.”
I’d like to get a vote on record too, but the Senate Dems seem very adamant about not letting this come up. And, as usual, there are enough RINOs there to let them get away with it.
There are a number of Dems in the House who are getting nervous about this issue. Steny Hoyer says that it won’t come up for a vote because the Senate won’t vote on it. However, Chris Van Hollen said that the House may take it up before the November elections. It would be nice if we could get the House to agree to extend the tax cuts and then use it against the Harry Reid and the Senate.
That would be excellent.
I called Mike Capuano’s office about this issue on Friday. THEY blamed the lack of a vote on the Senate republicans who were threatening a filibuster.
Riiiiiiiigggggghhhhhhhtttttt.
October 26, 2010, Astroturf Specialist and Speaker of The House, Nancy Pelosi: "Surprise! Dear Leader says we'll be benevolent and hold a Special Session to bring the extension of tax rate cuts to a vote after all! And you silly little peasants better not forget next Tuesday that we're the party of YES! If it weren't for us Rats, you'd have nothing!"
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