Today in Washington D. C. - Dec 6, 2007
From Senate & News Sources: Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona has been elected Republican Whip and Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee has been elected GOP Conference Chair.
This morning, Senators will be voting on a cloture motion on the House-passed alternative minimum tax package. Unfortunately, this bill contains over $80 billion in permanent tax hikes in exchange for a one-year AMT fix. Further, thanks to House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, the bill also features a tax break which would “allow state lawmakers to write off their state-provided per diem payments,” according to The Washington Post.
As a matter of principle, Senate Republicans oppose tax increases and reject the idea taxes must be raised to prevent a tax increase on over 20 million taxpayers. Cloture is therefore not expected to be invoked. Republicans are committed to fixing the AMT issue and have tried at least five times this year to do so, though each attempt was blocked by Democrats. When Republicans held the Senate majority, the AMT was never taken care of later than June, in order to give the IRS ample time to adjust. Democrats’ tardiness on fixing the AMT threatens to “throw filing season into chaos,” as The New York Times writes today.
As more positive news emerges from Iraq, more rank-and-file Democrats are willing to admit that there is progress. And despite the rhetoric from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, The Politico reports today that Democrats may be easing off their demands concerning funding for the troops. That would certainly be welcome news, but with the pressure Democrats feel from their anti-war base, it remains to be seen whether they will follow through.
On The Floor: Senate reconvened at 10:30 AM today. After an hour of debate, the Senate will hold a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the House-passed alternative minimum tax bill (H.R. 3996). The House bill includes $82.5 billion in tax hikes in exchange for a one-year patch of the AMT. Yesterday, Sen. Reid again filed cloture on the farm bill (H.R. 2419), which could bring a vote on Friday. (Reid technically filed cloture on the Harkin substitute amendment, which is the basis for debate on the farm bill.) It’s unlikely cloture will be invoked, since an agreement on amendments still hasn’t been reached. Reid has also threatened to keep the Senate in session on Saturday for a cloture vote on Democrats’ energy package. After today’s vote, action is expected to shift off the floor as negotiations continue on energy legislation, the farm bill, troop funding, and an omnibus spending package.
Tags: AMT, Jon Kyl, Lamar Alexander, military funding, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
This morning, Senators will be voting on a cloture motion on the House-passed alternative minimum tax package. Unfortunately, this bill contains over $80 billion in permanent tax hikes in exchange for a one-year AMT fix. Further, thanks to House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, the bill also features a tax break which would “allow state lawmakers to write off their state-provided per diem payments,” according to The Washington Post.
As a matter of principle, Senate Republicans oppose tax increases and reject the idea taxes must be raised to prevent a tax increase on over 20 million taxpayers. Cloture is therefore not expected to be invoked. Republicans are committed to fixing the AMT issue and have tried at least five times this year to do so, though each attempt was blocked by Democrats. When Republicans held the Senate majority, the AMT was never taken care of later than June, in order to give the IRS ample time to adjust. Democrats’ tardiness on fixing the AMT threatens to “throw filing season into chaos,” as The New York Times writes today.
As more positive news emerges from Iraq, more rank-and-file Democrats are willing to admit that there is progress. And despite the rhetoric from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, The Politico reports today that Democrats may be easing off their demands concerning funding for the troops. That would certainly be welcome news, but with the pressure Democrats feel from their anti-war base, it remains to be seen whether they will follow through.
On The Floor: Senate reconvened at 10:30 AM today. After an hour of debate, the Senate will hold a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the House-passed alternative minimum tax bill (H.R. 3996). The House bill includes $82.5 billion in tax hikes in exchange for a one-year patch of the AMT. Yesterday, Sen. Reid again filed cloture on the farm bill (H.R. 2419), which could bring a vote on Friday. (Reid technically filed cloture on the Harkin substitute amendment, which is the basis for debate on the farm bill.) It’s unlikely cloture will be invoked, since an agreement on amendments still hasn’t been reached. Reid has also threatened to keep the Senate in session on Saturday for a cloture vote on Democrats’ energy package. After today’s vote, action is expected to shift off the floor as negotiations continue on energy legislation, the farm bill, troop funding, and an omnibus spending package.
Tags: AMT, Jon Kyl, Lamar Alexander, military funding, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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