Some members of the Democratic leadership are having a news conference this afternoon to criticize the “pain the Republican tax bill will cause for middle-class families struggling to put their kids through college." Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, is responsible for enacting the college tuition tax deduction in 2001 and is working to extend it through legislation as soon as possible. He made the following comment on today’s Democratic leadership news conference.
“The only pain here is having to listen to the same old inaccurate, hypocritical story. I’ve said many times, on the Senate floor, in the Congressional Record, to anyone who will listen, and apparently certain Democratic leaders won’t, that no one is abandoning the extension of the college tuition tax deduction. It’s going in the second tax bill under development right now, for inclusion in the pension conference report or any other vehicle that’ll get it done quickly and efficiently. That’s the accuracy point. On the hypocrisy point, these Democratic leaders voted against the bill creating the college tuition tax deduction to begin with. If the extension of the deduction is so important, I don’t see why certain Democratic leaders forced the Senate to debate the bill carrying it three times,
delaying the legislation for months by their tactics. I hope they’ll have a change of heart and not delay the next bill carrying the tuition deduction they say they support. It’s never too late for intellectual honesty."
Conference report on H.R. 1836, vote#170, May 26, 2001 Approved 58-33
Members of current Democratic Leadership and their votes:
Reid, Dem Leader: No Durbin, Whip: No Stabenow, Secretary of Conference: No Schumer, Chair of DSCC: No Dorgan, Chair of DPC: No Clinton, Chair of Steering and Outreach: No Murray, Assistant Floor Leader: Not Voting Sarbanes, Chair, Ranking Member Outreach: No Bingaman, Vice Chair, Ranking Member Outreach: Present (live pair)
Lincoln, Chair of Rural Outreach: Yes Boxer, Chief Deputy Whip: Not Voting Carper, Deputy Whip: No Bill Nelson, Deputy Whip: No Feingold, Deputy Whip: No
Source: Ranking Member’s News
