The Club for Growth warned the House that their votes on the fiscal cliff deal, which could happen as early as today, will be scored with an eye toward 2014 elections.
“Once again, Congress is conducting “business as usual” in Washington. This bill raises taxes immediately with the promise of cutting spending later. Tax rates will go up on marginal income, capital gains, dividends, and even certain estates when a person passes away,” the group said in a vote alert. “But it also delays the sequester for at least two months, breaking the promise made by Congress in 2011 to cut government spending. And, among other things, it includes an unpaid for extension of unemployment benefits.”
“The Senate passed this bill in the middle of the night in the hopes of avoiding public scrutiny. Now that the bill’s contents are known, we urge all House members to oppose this anti-growth proposal.”
One of the “yes” votes in the wee hours was Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), a former Club for Growth president with a 97 percent score in 2011.
Toomey didn’t release a statement on his vote, but today tweeted, “Neither side gets all it wants, but this protects 99% of taxpayers with permanent tax relief #FiscalCliff”
Out of the senators with 100 percent ratings, two voted against the quickie bill — Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) — and two voted for it — Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) did not vote.
The Club for Growth issued a similar warning about Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) Plan B, which didn’t even garner enough caucus support to come to the floor for a vote in an embarrassment for the GOP leadership.
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