Westmoreland Supports Legislation to Cut Taxes, Create Jobs

Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3630, the Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act. The legislation contained a myriad of provisions, many of which have been passed by the House as stand-alone bills. Some of the more notable provisions include $183.4 billion in spending cuts, an extension of the two percent Social Security payroll tax, an extension and reform of unemployment benefits, a two year ‘Doc Fix,’ language requiring President Obama to issue a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, and a legislative stay on the ‘Boiler MACT’ rules. The legislation passed with bipartisan support and has been sent to the Senate for consideration, but it is unclear whether or not it will garner enough support to be sent to the White House for signature. Congressman Westmoreland supported the bill.

“Look, this bill isn’t perfect. There are parts that I love and parts I could do without. But at the end of the day, you have to determine if the good outweighs the bad. The Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act helps to relieve the tax burden on American families, and it does so without a harmful tax hike on small businesses. Instead, it pays for the tax relief with more than $180 billion in spending cuts. Whether it’s the provisions to repeal portions of Obamacare, the provision to freeze the salaries of Members of Congress, or the provisions to close tax loopholes, the Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act ensures that the burden of paying for this legislation isn’t shouldered by job creators.

“In addition to the tax relief, H.R. 3630 also creates approximately 140,000 direct and indirect jobs with the Keystone Pipeline construction and saves countless jobs by delaying the EPA’s harmful Boiler MACT regulations. Plus it makes much needed reforms to unemployment benefits, including allowing states to drug test recipients they determine are likely to be using illegal substances. Clearly, when it comes to the Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act, the good outweighs the bad.

“Now, there has been a lot of talk from the White House promising to veto this bill because of the Keystone XL Pipeline provision, which mimics language passed by the House last month with bipartisan support. Well if President Obama wants to kill legislation that creates jobs, ensures Medicare recipients have access to physicians, and extends unemployment benefits at a time when our unemployment rate continues to sit above eight percent, then he will have to answer to the American people. The president can no longer jeopardize American jobs in an effort to appease environmental activists that make up his liberal base. The buck stops with him. The Senate needs to pass this legislation and the president needs to sign it,” stated Westmoreland.