Lowey Blasts GOP for Inaction on Payroll Tax
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-Scarsdale) blasted House Republicans Tuesday for rejecting a plan to extend the payroll tax holiday for two months after the Senate had passed the legislation with bipartisan support.
“The House Republican majority’s decision to reject tax relief for hard-working, middle-class families is outrageous and inexcusable. There could be no clearer illustration of the majority’s misplaced priorities,” Lowey said in a statement released Tuesday. “This holiday season, 160 million Americans cannot afford the collateral damage that the Republican majority’s political games will cause.”
The Senate voted 89-10 to extend the payroll tax cut for two months until a long-term agreement could be worked out. The Senate’s plan was rejected 229-193 in the House, with all House Democrats and seven House Republicans supporting the Senate legislation.
“Rather than accepting a bipartisan compromise passed by a vote of 89-10 in the Senate, [House Republicans] choose to play political games,” Lowey said in the statement. “Failure to extend the payroll [tax cut] by the end of the year will mean an average tax hike of $1,689 per family in New York’s 18th Congressional District, and potentially as much as $2,136.”
Earlier this month, Lowey held a press conference calling on leaders of both parties to come together to pass an extension of the payroll tax. The tax holiday is set to expire at the end of the year.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.