UPDATE:
The Senate Leader wants to unveil the global tax bill yet today and tee up the message for a cloture vote Monday of next week. In the meantime, some changes are being suggested to help bring the House Dems back on board. They include tax incentives for wind and solar that were included in the stimulus bill of 2009.
The House Dems have decided that they will not support and therefore will not take up the “global tax deal” when or if it comes to the House from the Senate. The DeFazio (D-OR) letter has 53 Dem. signatures and the list is growing. The letter says the undersigned will not support the tax deal. This message was sent to the WH about 30 mins ago.
Obama must be spooling up into the ceiling. Pelosi must be frantic. The House is playing chicken with the Senate and Obama.
So what does this mean?
Our Capitol Hill insider Elizabeth Letchworth says, “The House was told by Biden that the deal was all they would get so take it or leave it, the House conference said “leave it.” This means Reid will have to go back to McConnell and get something to help the House save face and support it. I am guessing that the estate tax will change from 35% to 40 or 45% in order to get the House Dems on board with the deal.”
Aaargh!
Will McConnell give in for the increase in estate tax? They’ll have to give them something. But what?
Dem leaders teed this mess up by having all of these vital legislative items expire at the same time.
Meanwhile in the Senate…
AP is reporting that Democrats have punted on a vote on legislation carving out a path to legal status for foreign-born youngsters brought to this country illegally.
Facing GOP objections, Democrats are putting aside the so-called Dream Act. They’re short of the 60 votes needed to advance the measure.
Democratic officials say they’ll try to move a House-passed version after the Senate acts on funding the government and extending tax cuts. Republicans have said they won’t agree to consider anything else until those issues are addressed.
The bill grants hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children a chance to gain legal status if they enroll in college or join the military.
The DREAM Act also puts going to college on equal status with joining the military.
One kid goes to Easy Street Community College for two years, majoring in “the philosophy of basketweaving”. One young man goes through Marine Corps boot camp, followed by a combat deployment to the Middle East for a year, followed by an assignment as an assistant instructor of hand-to-hand combat at boot camp — also for a total of two years (but, he can’t leave the Corps for two MORE years).
Equal my a–!
The bill should require FOUR years of college to equal TWO years in the military.
But, given that the only uniform that most members of Congress ever wore was in a marching band or a fast-food joint, they don’t get it.