Congressional Democrats’ resistance to the tax-cut deal President Obama struck with congressional Republicans weakened Sunday, as leaders in both chambers said a vote likely would happen this week and a key House leadership member said his caucus would not torpedo the bill.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Democrat, said the House will vote this week on extending Bush-era tax rates, despite strong opposition from the chamber’s Democrats, furious over an estate-tax provision that they say will help only the country’s wealthiest residents.
Mr. Van Hollen called that provision a “choking point” for House Democrats, but added that while his party members might submit alternative legislation to tweak what they see as its flaws, they will not block the bill.
“We’re not talking about blocking the whole thing,” Mr. Van Hollen said on “Fox News Sunday.”
The Senate is expected to vote first this week on the legislation, which extends all Bush-era tax cuts for two years, reduces the Social Security payroll tax for a year, and extends jobless benefits to millions of unemployed Americans for 13 months. The first Senate test vote is scheduled for Monday.
“The president made a deal with the Senate Republicans … and to the credit of the Republicans, they did not say this better deal on the estate tax was essential,” he said. “We’re not going to hold this thing up at the end of the day, but we do think that simple question should be put to test. We’re going to ask the Republicans and others, are they going to block this entire deal” to protect wealthy estates?
Nevertheless, he added, he was “confident there will be no tax increases in January,” as would happen automatically if no bill were to pass at all.
Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, strongly warned House Democrats against killing the deal over the estate-tax issue.
“We all sing from the same political hymnal,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “But in three weeks, Democrats will no longer be in power. Try to project what the president’s bargaining power will be then.”
White House political adviser David Axelrod predicted the president’s compromise would pass the House after the Senate vote without “major changes.”
“We believe that when it comes back to the House, that we will get a vote, and that we’ll prevail there, because at the end of the day, no one wants to see taxes go up on 150 million Americans” on New Year’s Day, he said on ABC’s “This Week.” “No one wants to see 2 million people lose their unemployment insurance, and everybody understands what it would mean for the economy if we don’t get this done.”
Mr. Durbin said that while his chamber will vote on the deal, he was hesitant to claim that he has the votes, saying he has been talking all weekend with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, and that they have a “good cross-section of the Senate Democratic caucus” that is prepared to vote yes.
“But I don’t want to presume,” he said.
• Joseph Weber can be reached at jweber@washingtontimes.com.old.
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