Scott Opposes Tax Deal

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott issued the following statement regarding his opposition to H.R. 4853, the tax cut compromise reached by the President and Congressional Republicans:

“While I support the extension of the emergency unemployment benefits, the bill considered by the House tonight will lead to some very difficult decisions when we finally decide to get serious about the budget deficit. However popular these tax cuts may be today, that popularity will pale in comparison to the anger at the deep cuts in popular programs we will need to make in order to pay for this bill.

“This bill adds more than $800 billion to the deficit over two-years – more than the cost of TARP and more than the cost of the Recovery Act. It costs about the same over two years as the 10 year cost of the Health Care Reform bill, which we paid for.

“We need to make tough, unpopular choices to reduce the deficit – obviously letting tax cuts expire would be unpopular. But when we ever decide to get serious about the deficit, we will find that the realistic alternatives are even more unpopular. We already know how the incoming Republican Majority will address the deficit – all you need to do is look at the so-called Road Map for America’s Future, introduced by the incoming Republican Chairman of the Budget Committee. By starving Social Security and the rest of the Federal Budget of revenue by passing this package, we will essentially have to adopt the Republican plan and cut Social Security, let Medicare wither on the vine, cut federal college student aid programs, and gut the Education and Labor Departments in order to pay for this.

“We cannot add more than $800 billion to the deficit through tax cuts and tell the American people with a straight face that they won’t have to sacrifice anything in the future to balance the federal budget. If we didn’t have the political will to end the Bush-era tax cuts tonight, we certainly won’t have the political will to do it two years from now during a presidential election.”

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