Hoyer: No Vote On Tax Cuts Until After Elections

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced today that Democrats will wait until after the midterm elections to vote on the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts. The GOP wanted a vote to occur before Congress adjourned to return to the campaign trail.

If the tax cuts are not extended by the end of the year, they will expire for all Americans on January 1, 2011.

Lieberman Backs Bush-Era Tax Cuts Extension

In today’s address to the Stamford Chamber of Commerce in Connecticut, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) voiced his strong support for extending the Bush-era tax cuts and expressed hope that a bipartisan coalition can form to break the political gridlock.

 

In his remarks, Senator Lieberman said:

 

“The surest way for Congress to help bring about a double-dip recession is to allow taxes to be raised on anyone during this uncertain economy we are struggling through.”

 

“I think there is a path forward on extending the tax cuts that can also cut through the partisan gridlock and heated rhetoric that has been paralyzing Washington and keeping us from taking the actions that we need to get our country back on the right track.  I have had promising discussions over the past several days with colleagues from both sides of the aisle who see a bipartisan path forward on a permanent extension of the middle-class tax cuts and a temporary extension of the tax cuts for the highest income brackets to make sure that nobody’s taxes go up while the economy is still struggling to recover.”

Geithner: Let The Bush Tax Cuts Expire

U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner told an audience gathered at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. that extending tax cuts for the wealthy would be a “mistake.”

Continuing the cuts enacted during the Bush administration “would be irresponsible and it would be unfair, especially with America still suffering through the effects of what we learned last week was the worst recession in post-war history,” said Geithner.

“That would only slow our recovery,” he added.

Geithner argued that the best way to restore the nation’s economy and balance its budget would be for Congress to extend tax breaks for the middle class that are set to expire at the end of 2010…