John Yarmuth: “The Republican plan to extend the payroll tax is deeply flawed in many ways, but perhaps the most egregious are the…”

“The Republican plan to extend the payroll tax is deeply flawed in many ways, but perhaps the most egregious are the fundamental changes it would make to some of our Nation's core institutions without any discussion or debate. It would cut unemployment insurance benefits for 1 million Americans and impose new restrictive limits on workers who've been laid off. It would require millions of seniors to pay more for health care by slashing funding designed to lower costs. It would roll back essential EPA rules to keep our air clean, and it would actually increase the deficit by almost $26 billion over 10 years, according to the CBO. The vast majority of Americans want the wealthiest to pay their fair share so we can get the country back on track and preserve government institutions. We need a reasonable solution to keep middle class tax cuts in place and maintain funding for Social Security. Republicans are saying, sure, we'll give you a tax cut, but we're going to slash your husband's unemployment benefits in order to pay for it. That's not a way for families to preserve their standard of living. Mr. Speaker, the American people want a government that is fair and just, not one that promotes economic imbalance and cynicism. I urge my colleagues to vote against H.R. 3630. ____________________”