Extend the Middle Class Tax Cut

Floor Speech

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Nevada's middle class families. Because of the economic downturn, thousands of Nevadans are struggling to find a job, pay their rent, and put food on their families' tables. They cannot afford a tax increase.

However, Washington gridlock is threatening just that, a massive tax increase on middle class families. Why? Because some Washington Republicans refuse to roll back special tax breaks for Wall Street millionaires in order to pay for a middle class tax cut for 1.2 million Nevadans. That's just not right.

So my message today is this: no holiday vacation for Congress without extending the middle class tax cut. We cannot go home while Nevada families are hurting and desperate for this extension of their payroll tax cuts.

However, that's going to require Washington Republicans to stop protecting Wall Street millionaires and start putting Nevada's families first. The only fair way to achieve this is to roll back special tax breaks for Wall Street millionaires, not slash Medicare benefits, not layoff thousands of people.

It's time to stop putting Wall Street first and before Main Street. Washington ought not go on vacation until we take care of this problem.

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