The Fiscal Cliff

Floor Speech

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, my Republican colleagues have talked a lot about the importance of finding common ground in negotiations over tax rates and the fiscal cliff.

The truth is we do have a lot of common ground. We all believe we should extend the tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses. We should be building on that common ground, not arguing over semantics. I'm confident there are more Republicans like Congressman Tom Cole, who has come to the realization that we can and we must provide economic security for middle class families and financial certainty for small business owners immediately.

As my Democratic colleagues and I have been saying, that's easy, we should pass the Senate bill to extend current tax rates for middle class families and small businesses. We could do it today.

Too often in Washington we confuse principles with policies. And certainly the difference between asking the wealthy to pay their fair share by raising their income tax rate and by eliminating their deductions can't be a matter of principle. That's policy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues and Republican leadership to build on our common ground and bring the Senate bill to the floor for a vote.

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