Udall Urges U.S. House of Representatives to Spare Middle-Class Families from Tax Hike
The Middle Class Tax Cut Act Keeps Taxes from Rising for 98 Percent of Americans
Mark Udall called on his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives today to give the “Middle Class Tax Cut Act” an up-or-down vote to spare the middle class from a New Year’s tax hike. The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate in July, would extend the Bush tax cuts for the first $250,000 a family earns — sparing 98 percent of Americans from seeing a tax hike on January 1, 2013.
"The middle class is being held hostage for political posturing and it needs to end," Udall said. "We all agree that taxes should not be increased on middle-class families, so why wait on providing some relief to these Americans before the holiday season? The Middle Class Tax Cut Act could pass the U.S. House tomorrow and spare millions of hardworking families from a New Year’s Day tax increase. I realize some members of Congress are waiting for a more generous deal that offers the wealthiest among us more tax breaks, but we simply cannot afford it and are running out of time. The House should stop holding hardworking Americans hostage."
Udall has been a vocal advocate for Democrats and Republicans coming together to deal with the deficit. Last week he called on lawmakers to set aside their rigid pledges and ultimatums while also protecting strategic, job-creating investments to deal with the deficit.
In August, Udall led a bipartisan letter from a majority of Colorado’s congressional delegation urging congressional leaders to actively work on passing a comprehensive, balanced deficit-reduction package.