Senate Republicans agree to tax increases.

July 7, 2011

Kyle says GOP senate caved on tax increases

Rick Moran
39 comments


This is not unexpected from those in the senate who are negotiating. The trick will be getting it through the GOP House - an unlikely event unless GOP senators slip them something to take away their, um, virility:

One day before a crucial U.S. budget meeting between the White House and congressional leaders, a high-ranking senator said Republicans have agreed to including significant revenue increases in a deficit-reduction framework.

"If you add up all of the revenues that we Republicans have agreed to, it's between $150 billion and $200 billion," said Senator Jon Kyl, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate.

Kyl said two possible ways to bring additional revenue to the government would be through sales of government property and additional fees for government services,

Meanwhile, House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor floated a possible tax compromise, saying Republicans could agree to closing some tax breaks in a budget deal as long as they were offset with tax cuts elsewhere.

Cantor should know better. Every dollar raised in taxes the Democrats see as another dollar they can spend. The Democrats have yet to prove that they are serious about debt reduction and see the whole process to raise the debt ceiling as one big game of "gotchya." They are looking to lay blame, not decrease the deficit.

The GOP should call their bluff unless the president starts adding some zeroes to those numbers he's been tossing around recently.