Sep 17, 2012

House Republicans Prepare Two-Month Taxpayer Funded Vacation Instead of Creating Jobs, Middle Class

House Republicans are scheduled to take a nearly two-month taxpayer-funded vacation starting later this week and leave Washington without creating jobs for the middle class and veterans, without stopping an upcoming tax hike on middle class families and small businesses, and without reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act or the Farm Bill. While Republicans fail to get the job done on these items for the next two months, they’ll still get paid nearly $30,000 of their $174,000 annual salary.

Sure enough, approval of this Republican Congress has hit an all-time low – 13% percent—which is the lowest ever this late in an election year, according to Gallup.

“This Tea Party Republican Congress is going to hightail it out of town for an almost two-month taxpayer-funded vacation without creating jobs for the middle class and veterans, without stopping an upcoming tax hike on middle class families and small businesses, and without reauthorizing the Farm Bill or the extending the Violence Against Women Act,” said Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “The only job that this Republican Congress cares about is keeping their own so rather than getting anything done to protect the middle class, small businesses, seniors, veterans or women they will start their campaigning earlier than ever before. This Tea Party Republican Congress doesn’t work for middle class families, they work for themselves.”

Republicans are only scheduled to be in session three days this week for a total of eight working days this month.

BACKGROUND

House Republicans Plan Two Month Vacation, Leaving Key Bills Awaiting Action. Republican Leader Eric Cantor announced the House that after this week the House will stand in recess until November 13, leaving several vital bills awaiting action. These bills include: The Violence Against Women Re-Authorization,  Middle Class Tax Cuts, the Farm Bill and the Veterans Job Corps Act. [Think Progress, 9/14/12]

House Republicans Voted to End Medicare, Give Tax Breaks to Millionaires, Protect Tax Breaks for Big Oil. On April 15, 2011, House Republicans voted for a budget which “would essentially end Medicare.” If enacted, this budget would begin affecting millions of seniors almost immediately by increasing the costs on prescription drugs and long-term care. For future beneficiaries, the Congressional Budget Office estimates it will increase health care costs by an extra $6,359 by 2022. The Republican plan would also lower the top tax rate to 25% and will provide people with incomes over $1 million an average tax cut of $125,000 per year. The plan would secure no deficit-reduction contribution at all from closing special interest tax breaks, such as breaks for big oil companies. [H Con. Res. 34, Vote #277, 4/15/11; Wall Street Journal, 4/4/11; National Journal, 6/2/11; CBO, 4/5/11; Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 4/20/11]

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