The Bush tax cuts are set to expire automatically. No bill is needed to do this. Doing nothing can backfire against the Republicans badly.
Once these cuts expire, Americans will discover almost instantly that they missed them. And when their once $1000 Child Tax Credit (welfare check) turns in to a $500 Child Tax Deduction (no welfare check) among other losses, many Americans are going to be outraged. Then the House Democrats can ride to the rescue with a tax plan of their own, one that looks awfully like the Bush tax cuts only the top 2% are not affected. This would be very popular with a majority of Americans who favor tax increases on the wealthy. The Democrats saved the day.
How could House Republicans possibly vote against this? They'd get hammered in 2014. Yet they'd still look foolish for being forced to support something at a later date that they were so opposed to now.
There really is no way to win this one.
The only way they should is for each to vote “present”;