Rep. Green votes for extension that would have benefitted millions of Americans

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Gene Green supported passing H.R. 3630, which would extend middle class tax cuts, keep millions of Americans from losing unemployment benefits, and authorize payments to doctors accepting Medicare.  This bill received over 90% support in the Senate.  House Republicans rejected the bill in a party-line vote of 229-193 and sent it to a conference committee.

Rep. Green stated:

“The Senate was able to hammer out and address the issues I had with the previous bill text, including extending the Social Security tax cuts, extending the current reimbursement rate to doctors for their Medicare services, and not penalizing Americans receiving unemployment benefits by cutting the maximum number of weeks in half.  I had hoped that we could rally behind these critical reauthorizations and am disappointed and frustrated that House Republicans chose to play politics instead of doing what’s right for millions of Americans.”

If no reauthorization is passed, beginning January 1, 2012, millions of Americans will be affected: 160 million Americans will face a tax hike, averaging $1,000 for the typical family; 2.2 million Americans will lose their unemployment benefits; and 48 million seniors could lose access to their doctors.

###