Rep. Mike Thompson Releases Statement On House Majority's Passage of Tax Extension Bill
December 14, 2011
Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1), a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, today released the following statement on House Majority's passage of their tax extension bill:
“Congress has important work to do before we break for the holidays. We need to extend a payroll tax cut that will put about $1,000 into the pockets of the typical middle class family, we need to extend unemployment benefits for folks who are out of work through no fault of their own, and we must fix the Medicare physician payment rate so that our seniors' health care will not be disrupted. These extensions will cost money, and they should be paid for in a fiscally responsible and fair way.
“However, the bill passed last night by the House Majority represents the wrong way forward for American families. The plan increases Medicare costs for millions of seniors, cuts unemployment insurance benefits for more than 500,000 Californians, increases taxes on working families by forcing large, end-of-the-year health care payments, reduces access to medical care in rural communities - and it does all of this while refusing to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share.
“I voted against this approach because it hurts middle class families, those fighting to get into the middle class, and our seniors. I remain committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come up with a fair and balanced plan that strengthens the middle class, protects our seniors, helps our economy grow and asks those who have benefited the most in the new economy to pay their fair share.”
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 1st Congressional District, which includes the Counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, and Yolo. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and sits on the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
“Congress has important work to do before we break for the holidays. We need to extend a payroll tax cut that will put about $1,000 into the pockets of the typical middle class family, we need to extend unemployment benefits for folks who are out of work through no fault of their own, and we must fix the Medicare physician payment rate so that our seniors' health care will not be disrupted. These extensions will cost money, and they should be paid for in a fiscally responsible and fair way.
“However, the bill passed last night by the House Majority represents the wrong way forward for American families. The plan increases Medicare costs for millions of seniors, cuts unemployment insurance benefits for more than 500,000 Californians, increases taxes on working families by forcing large, end-of-the-year health care payments, reduces access to medical care in rural communities - and it does all of this while refusing to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share.
“I voted against this approach because it hurts middle class families, those fighting to get into the middle class, and our seniors. I remain committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come up with a fair and balanced plan that strengthens the middle class, protects our seniors, helps our economy grow and asks those who have benefited the most in the new economy to pay their fair share.”
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 1st Congressional District, which includes the Counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, and Yolo. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and sits on the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
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