For immediate release: February 17, 2012

Carter Votes NO on Payroll Tax Cut Extension, Higher Deficits

House Republican Conference Secretary John Carter continued a tradition of bucking House and Senate GOP Leaders in voting a resounding no today on the Payroll Tax Cut Extension, which will add $100 billion to the federal deficit.

“Enough’s enough, no more,” said Carter, who withdrew support for the measure after House and Senate conference negotiators failed to provide spending cuts to offset the payroll tax cut extension.   “We cannot continue to cave in to the Obama Administration’s economy-destroying deficits,” said Carter.  “We were given back the House last November by the people of America to stop the pending bankruptcy of our federal government, and this bill increases those deficits by $100 billion.”

Carter is the only member of elected Republican Leadership who voted against the Bush Administration’s TARP spending, the Obama Administration’s Stimulus bill, and now the Payroll Tax Extension package.

Carter voted last December for a full-year, fully paid-for extension of the plan which passed today, which included a two-year fix to the Medicare physician payment and an extension and reform of unemployment benefits.  That package passed the House with bipartisan support, but was blocked by Senate Democrats, who instead demanded a temporary extension.

H.R. 3630 passed today by a 293-132 margin.  146 Republicans voted yea, with 91 nays including Carter.  147 Democrats voted for the bill, with 41 nays. 

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U.S. Rep. John Carter

http://carter.house.gov/

31^st District of Texas

409 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Contact: GOPConferenceSecretary@mail.house.gov, (202) 225-3864