White House Blames House Democrats
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on December 7th, 2010 5:42 am by HL
White House Blames House Democrats
The White House is pushing back against criticism from congressional Democrats on the tax deal reached last night with Republicans, ABC News reports.
Said a senior White House official: “We wanted a fight, the House didn’t throw a punch. The House wouldn’t vote before the Senate, and the Senate was afraid they’d lose a vote on it.”
Obama Makes Tax Deal with Republicans
President Obama reached agreement with Republican congressional leaders “on a broad tax package that would extend the Bush-era income tax cuts for two years, reduce worker payroll taxes for one year and give more favorable treatment to business investments,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Other elements of the deal include a temporary reinstatement of the estate tax at 35% — the level favored by most Republican lawmakers — as well as an extension of jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed.”
However, as the New York Times reports, congressional Democrats “pointedly noted that they had yet to agree to any deal, even as many Republicans signaled that they would go along.”
Politico: “The deal amounts to a major reversal for Obama — who campaigned for president on a pledge not to allow the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to continue beyond their scheduled expiration on Dec. 31. The two-year extension means the fight will be waged during the middle of his reelection campaign in 2012.”
