Tax Increase Hurts Middle Class Families

House leadership, knowing they lack the votes, block up or down vote, dooming payroll tax cut extension for middle class Americans

WASHINGTON – In response to House Republican leaders refusing to even vote on a payroll tax cut for the middle class, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20) released the following statement:

“It’s disappointing that my Republican colleagues couldn’t come together to vote on a bipartisan compromise that would help America’s working families. Now 160 million Americans will see a tax increase in 2012, along with 2.2 million unemployed Americans losing their insurance benefits. And 48 million seniors will face the prospect of having to find new doctors, due to cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates.

“Now is not the time to abandon people who need our help to get back on their feet. I was recently moved by a note from Christine, a single parent from my district who has a 3-year-old daughter, ‘I am pleading my case to you out of desperation to extend unemployment insurance.’ These benefits help her provide food, and necessities for her daughter.

“Too many of my colleagues like to paint unemployment beneficiaries with one insensitive and cruel brush. This young woman is not someone sitting around just collecting government checks. She was laid off from her job this fall and has only been on unemployment for a few months while she looks for another job. 

“My Republican colleagues who callously ignore the needs of middle class Americans by refusing to vote on the payroll tax extension and unemployment benefits are sending the message to millions of working families that despite their efforts to look for and find work in this delicate economy – they simply don’t care.

“Constituents like Christine need our help. Millions of Americans need our help. Republicans need to stop playing politics with people’s lives and come to the compromise table to support our middle class families, seniors, and the unemployed.”