Senate plans Saturday votes on taxes

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Washington -- Senate Democrats planned votes Saturday on two measures to extend Bush-era tax cuts for people who are not super wealthy.

Despite the realization that neither will get the 60 votes to succeed, many Democrats said they wanted to get on-the-record in support of extending the lower rates to lower earners. They also want to contrast their ideas with Republican proposals to extend all tax cuts, even those for people who are very wealthy.

"I think we want to lay it out there," Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. "Who's for which approach on this. That's why we're doing it."

"There are no signs that millionaires are suffering in this economy. It's everybody below that," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California. "You have to stand up for what you believe and you have to vote on what you believe."

The chamber will convene at 8:15 a.m. ET with votes planned for 10:30 a.m.

The first vote will be on a measure that would extend tax cuts for those earning $250,000 a year and under; the second for those earning less than $1 million per year.

Both are Democratic amendments and each includes extensions of other expiring tax programs as well as the extension of benefits for the longtime unemployed.

A Republican leadership aide dismissed the Democratic effort as "political show-votes."

On the floor Friday, Reid said no one is happy with the timing of weekend votes but said he hopes it's early enough in the day that senators who live east of the Mississippi will be able to get home to their states in the afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure 234-188 to allow tax cuts to expire this December 31 for Americans' incomes above $250,000 annually.

The tax cuts for incomes below that would continue, and the bill would also maintain the current Alternative Minimum Tax limit for two years. Most Democrats backed the legislation, while Republicans resoundingly opposed it.

The Senate, per a deal reached by the chamber's Democratic and Republican leaders, was initially going to vote on that proposal, another that would raise the threshold to $1 million and the GOP-backed effort to indefinitely extend the cuts for all taxpayers as soon as Friday. But Reid said that plan fell through, and the Democrats decided to schedule votes only on their first two options.

None of the measures -- including the Republican proposal -- was expected to get the 60 votes that would be needed to end debate and vote on the bills themselves.

"We do not support giving tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires," said Reid. " We are disappointed that we couldn't show the American people anything."

All 42 Senate Republicans vowed Monday to prevent a final vote on any other legislative business in the lame duck session until Congress has "prevented the tax increase that is currently awaiting all American taxpayers."

President Obama and top congressional Democrats say the estimated $700 billion the GOP tax cut extension would cost the Treasury would be fiscally irresponsible. Republicans contend that a failure to extend all of the cuts would hamper an already sluggish economy.

Negotiators from the White House and both parties on Capitol Hill are meeting behind closed doors this week to try to hammer out a compromise. Multiple congressional Democratic sources told CNN Thursday that, despite what was happening on the floor of the House, a deal to extend all of the cuts temporarily was getting close.

After the House vote, the White House issued a statement saying that "extending middle class tax cuts is the most important thing we can do for our economy right now" -- and denying that negotiators were nearing a deal.

"But, because Republicans have made it clear that they won't pass a middle class extension without also extending tax cuts for the wealthy, the President has asked Director Lew and Secretary Geithner to work with Congress to find a way forward," the statement said. "Those discussions started just yesterday and are continuing this afternoon. The talks are ongoing and productive, but any reports that we are near a deal in the tax cuts negotiations are inaccurate and premature."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped Republicans for pushing what she characterized as unfunded tax breaks for the wealthy while insisting that any further extension of unemployment benefits for lower-income Americans be paid for.

"This is so grossly unfair," she said. "Something is very wrong with this picture."

"Giving $700 billion to the wealthiest people in America ... does not create jobs," said Pelosi, D-California. There must be a "tax cut for middle-income people in this country. ... That is what we send to the [negotiating] table."

Several economic studies have indicated that the wealthiest people -- the top 3 percent who make more than $250,000 per year -- are more likely to invest tax cuts in stocks or other assets than to create jobs. And, Democrats point out, many large American corporations are posting record profits without sinking that money into payroll. Instead of spending money on tax cuts, they say, the money should be spent on actual jobs -- which, in turn, will bring businesses the customers they need to thrive.

"It's time that this country began to tax fairly and invest wisely," said Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-California. "It's time that this country acted sanely."

House Minority Leader John Boehner -- in line to become speaker when Republicans take over the House in January -- called the Democrats' vote political "chicken crap" that undermines the spirit of bipartisan tax negotiations now under way between the White House and congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle.

"This is nonsense," he said. "The election was one month ago. There are 23 months [until] the next election and the political games have already started."

"This bill is as misguided as it is futile," said Michigan Rep. Dave Camp, the top Republican on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. It is "the wrong policy at the wrong time."

"You cannot help the job seeker by punishing the job creator," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas. "No taxes on nobody. It may be bad grammar but it's great economics."
 
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