Following today’s vote by House Republicans to reject an extension of the President’s payroll tax cut for the middle class passed overwhelmingly by the Senate without giving the Senate bill a clean up or down vote, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement:“Today, with less than two weeks to go until 160 million Americans are hit with a tax hike in the middle of the holiday season, House Republicans turned their backs on America’s working families and voted against extending a payroll tax cut for the middle class. This vote comes just days after Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate came together in the name of compromise to pass a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance benefits that provide a vital lifeline to millions of Americans who have lost their jobs as a result of the economic downturn. That bipartisan bill passed the Senate 89-10 – with the support of many conservative Republicans – and after this critical compromise, for House Republicans to say no and vote to raise taxes on 160 million hardworking Americans is simply extremism at its worst.
“Republicans in the House made their priorities very clear today – they are taking their orders from the Tea Party and its extreme economic policies. They’re obviously not listening to any number of Senate Republicans who have come out in support of this tax cut for the middle class, who know it’s a necessary step to restore our economic security. Nor are they listening to John McCain’s former economic advisor Mark Zandi, who recently warned that a failure to pass an extension of the payroll tax cut will significantly increase the odds of a recession. As we saw today, House Republicans are terrified of disappointing Tea Party extremists, even if the consequence is a tax increase on millions of middle-class families. This is a GOP-inflicted wound to our economic recovery – it’s simply unacceptable, and the House GOP should be ashamed of itself. ”
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