Reid says GOP likely to obstruct tax vote again

Last week, Democrats tried to get a vote on the Bring Jobs Home Act, which would have given tax incentives to businesses that brought outsourced jobs back to America. 

{mosads}At 2:15 p.m. Wednesday the Senate will vote on a motion to end debate on a motion to proceed to the Democrats’ Middle Class Tax Cut Act — the motion is expected to fail, since Democrats would need 60 votes and are not expected to win the support of any Republicans.

“They’ve decided to obstruct rather than deliberate,” Reid said.

Reid said Republicans declined his offer for up-or-down majority votes on both the Democratic and Republican tax plans.

The Republican plan would extend the George W. Bush-era tax rates for all income levels. The Democratic plan only extends those rates for income up to $250,000.

Reid compared the Republicans’ obstructionism to children wanting to stay up past their bedtime.

“It’s very often that little kids have a tactic that they’ve used forever when it comes to getting them to bed,” Reid said. “ ‘One more story,’ but parents see it for what it is — a tactic to stave off bedtime.”

According to Reid, Republicans asked for the votes on both tax plans, but are now requesting a third vote on President Obama’s plan.

Reid said the Senate Democrats’ proposal was basically Obama’s, since they worked “hand in glove” with the White House on it.

One Republican senator spoke immediately after Reid and indicated that the GOP is not close to any agreement on Democrats allowing the bill to move forward.

“The difference between the Democrats’ plan to increase taxes and a simple extension of all the current tax rates is not even enough to cover five days of our government’s spending,” Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) said. “This simply is not about our national debt or about deficits. It’s about an ideological statement and nothing more.”

The next issues Reid plans to bring up in the Senate are the Cybersecurity Act and more sanctions on Iran.