[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 182 (Wednesday, November 30, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8010-S8011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            PAYROLL TAX CUTS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I know my good friend the majority 
leader may have been a little busy during the last 24 hours. Maybe he 
missed the news. Reuters said:

       U.S. Senate Republicans Back Payroll Tax Cut Extension.

  The Wall Street Journal says:

       GOP Set to Back Payroll Tax Cut.

  IBD says:

       GOP Open to Payroll Tax Cut.

  U.S. News:

       Mitch McConnell Says Congress Will Likely Extend Tax Cut 
     One More Year.

  CBS says:

       GOP working on alternative proposal for payroll tax cut 
     extension.

  Washington Post:

       ``Majority'' of Republicans likely to back payroll tax cut 
     extension.

  And Fox News:

       Republicans Back Payroll Tax Cut Extension.

  Madam President, this is not an argument about whether we ought to 
extend the payroll tax cut that was enacted last year for 1 year. The 
issue is how do you pay for that, and we have differences of opinion 
about that.
  This week, as we all know, the Senate is debating the extension of a 
temporary payroll tax cut that the two parties agreed to last year to 
help those struggling in a bad economy. But before getting into any 
detail about the various proposals that are being considered for 
extending this temporary tax cut, I think it is important to establish 
a couple of things right here at the outset.
  First, the debate we are having this week is not about whether to 
extend this temporary relief for millions of working Americans out 
there who are struggling as a result of the ongoing jobs crisis; it is 
about whether we should help those who are struggling in a bad economy 
by punishing the private sector businesses the American people are 
counting on to help turn this economy around.
  The President and Democrats here in Congress are saying we ought to 
recoup the revenue we will not get from one group of taxpayers by 
socking it to another group, a significant number of whom happen to be 
employers. What this really means is that one way or another they want 
the money coming back to Washington so that the President and his 
allies in Congress can divvy it up how they want, protecting and aiding 
the politically favored few. This really sums up the whole story of 
this President and the economic policies he has promoted over the past 
few years--send your money to Washington so the President and his 
allies in Congress can spend it their way, on things such as turtle 
tunnels or bailing out politically connected investors of failing solar 
companies.
  The Democrats can say they just want some people to pay a little bit 
more to cover this or that dubious proposal, but what they do not tell 
you is that 80 percent of the people they want to tax are business 
owners--in other words, the very people we are counting on to create 
the jobs we need in this country. Think about that. The Democrats' 
response to the jobs crisis we are in right now is to raise taxes on 
those who create the jobs. This is not just counterproductive, it is 
absolutely absurd.
  That brings me to my second point, which is this: The only reason we 
are talking about extending a temporary cut in the payroll tax right 
now, the only reason we are even talking about extending unemployment 
insurance right now is because President Obama's economic policies have 
failed working Americans.
  Democrats and liberal pundits are fond of saying that Republicans are 
rooting against the economy, but it is easy to refute that one. If 
Republicans wanted the economy to stall, we would just stand on the 
side lines and wave through everything the President and his Democratic 
allies in Congress propose. That is what the Democrats did for the 
first 2 years of the President's term, and now we are living with the 
results. Unemployment is still stuck at around 9 percent, 14 million 
Americans are looking for work and can't find it, millions more are 
underemployed or have given up on finding a job altogether, and here we 
are, 3 years into this Presidency, still talking about temporary 
stimulus measures.
  Republicans will put aside their misgivings and support this 
extension not because we believe, as the President does, that another 
short-term stimulus will turn this economy around but because we know 
it will give some relief to struggling workers out there who continue 
to need it nearly 3 years into this Presidency. Americans should not 
have to suffer any more than they already are for the Democrats' failed 
economic policies.
  Republicans reject the idea that the way to help people is for the 
government to write them a check every once in a while or adjust their 
pay stub at a time of our choosing. We think it is time to get past the 
idea that government should be the sole arbiter of people's futures and 
livelihoods. We need to get government out of the business of picking 
winners and losers, and that is why Republicans think the real answer 
is broad-based tax reform that clears out the deductions and the 
loopholes and the special carve-outs for those who are rich enough or 
politically connected enough to benefit from it.

  If one is a small business owner, we don't think they should have to 
have an army of tax lawyers on staff to figure out how to keep their 
business profitable and their employees on the payroll. If one is an 
individual, they should not have to hire an accountant to keep from 
getting ripped off by the IRS. We think Americans are ready for tax 
reform that makes the system fair for everybody, that levels the 
playing field so people in small businesses can compete without having 
to beg for favors or beg for loopholes. We are going to keep pressing 
for it, and part of that is looking beyond these temporary stimulus 
measures.

[[Page S8011]]

  Let's be very clear about this. The Democrats' quick-fix approach has 
failed. Nearly 3 years have passed since Democrats passed the mother of 
all stimulus bills, and we have 1.3 million fewer jobs in this country 
than we had when the President signed it into law. Yet they are still 
at it. Republicans in the House have passed an avalanche of legislation 
aimed at liberating the private sector and getting the economy growing 
again. It all dies at the Senate door. Democrats are not interested. 
With Democrats in control of two-thirds of the government in 
Washington, all we get is more temporary stimulus and calls to raise 
taxes on the very people we are counting on to jolt this economy back 
to life. That is why we are standing here 3 years into this 
administration still talking about temporary stimulus measures paid for 
by permanent tax hikes--temporary stimulus measures paid for by 
permanent tax hikes.
  Democrats don't seem interested in doing anything that will lead to 
economic growth. They are stuck on stimulus. They are stuck on 
government. They are stuck on economic policies that have already 
failed. So we are not arguing against extending the payroll tax cut. We 
just think it should not be punishing job creators to pay for it. We 
think that if this kind of temporary relief engineered at some 
lawmakers' whim is the sum and substance of Democrats' plan for getting 
this economy going again, we are in trouble.
  The American people don't want a temporary allowance from Democrats 
in Washington. They want us to get out of the way, to lift the burdens 
to growth so they can get this economy going. That is why Republicans 
are proposing a very different approach to paying for this extension. 
We can maintain this tax relief without raising taxes on job creators. 
If past experience shows us anything, it is that Washington will only 
spend every dime it gets and then some anyway, when we need to find a 
solution that doesn't give more power to Washington. We will never get 
this economy going or help people create the wealth and jobs America 
needs if we continue to allow Washington to dictate all the rules of 
the game when it comes to our economy. At the end of the day, the real 
question in this debate isn't whether lawmakers in Washington should or 
should not extend some temporary stimulus but whether the American 
people should continue to allow Washington to have so much power over 
their lives. That is what this debate is about.
  Mr. REID. Will the Chair announce the business for the day.

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