Thread: GOP to block all bills until tax cuts are addressed

Please keep on calling and keep the pressure on:
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posted 12/1/10
firstread.msnbc.msn.com
GOP to block all bills until tax cuts are addressed
From NBC’s Ken Strickland and Kelly O'Donnell

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced this morning that Republicans will block any legislation from coming to the Senate floor until two key economic issues are addressed: funding the government (the “continuing resolutionâ€

Here is the letter from the GOP Caucus (in PDF):

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Secti ... Letter.pdf

Hang tough Republicans. And we need common sense Democrats to stand with US. We must defeat the Dream Act. We must, We must, We must.

They should block any legislation other than budget, tax or unemployment for the duration of the lame duck session.

The Hill
Senate GOP vows to halt action in lame-duck session until tax deal
By Michael O'Brien - 12/01/10 08:08 AM ET

Senate Republicans will block controversial legislation during the lame-duck Congress until a deal on tax cuts is worked out, according to a letter signed by every GOP senator.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Republicans said they would not agree to proceed on any legislative item until the Senate has acted to fund the government and prevent "the tax increase that is currently awaiting all American taxpayers."

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) highlighted the new strategy in an interview with ABC. McConnell and other congressional leaders met with President Obama at the White House Tuesday to try to reach a deal on the tax cuts.

"One thing I think we all agreed on at the White House is that we ought to do first things first," McConnell said in an interview with ABC News. "And what the American people want to know is, 'Are our taxes going up, and how are you going to fund the government?' Let's do those things first, and see what kind of time is left."

Asked whether that meant the Senate would have time to tackle all the other issues, like repealing "Don't ask, don't tell," passing the DREAM Act or extending unemployment benefits, McConnell said: "No, I don't think so."

The effort to repeal the military's ban on gay and lesbian service members and to pass the DREAM Act, an immigration reform bill, are seen as much less likely to advance in a GOP-held House and with a strengthened Republican minority in the Senate.

"Anyone looking for the GOP's strategy in lame duck, here it is," said Jim Manley, the top spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), on Twitter.

Rest of story here:

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... k-business

BLOCK THE DREAM ACT. WE DO NOT NEED THAT. ENFORCE THE LAWS AND ILLEGAL ALIENS, LAW BREAKERS, WILL LEAVE.

Republicans threaten to shut down Senate until deal reached to extend tax cuts
December 1, 2010
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

The New York Times

WASHINGTON â€â€

Extending tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans should be easy to challenge. That Republicans are confident that they can insist on maintaining those tax breaks shows how confident they are that Americans are disgusted with this administration. IMO the real message for 'Bama and Co. is that they've lost contact with the American majority.