Congress Fails to Make Promised Cuts, FreedomWorks Responds

WASHINGTON, DC- In a hurried up-or-down vote on New Year’s Day, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. The H.R. 8 legislation is the House version of the McConnell-Obama fiscal cliff plan to “postpone” the promised $1.2 trillion in ten-year sequester savings, raise income tax rates for individuals earning more than $400,000 a year, and increase federal spending by $330 billion over ten years through special interest stimulus tax breaks and earmarks.

Matt Kibbe, President of FreedomWorks commented, “It has been over three years since Congress passed a budget. Now, with our national debt standing at over $16 trillion, Congress has decided once again to shut American taxpayers out of the budgeting process. Senator McConnell and Speaker Boehner facilitated legislation through a series of secretive back-room negotiations that not only fails to make the immediate promised sequester cuts, but actually increases federal spending by $330 billion over ten years. Outrageous is an understatement. This bill is an epic fail.”

Last Monday, FreedomWorks issued a Key Vote against the McConnell-Obama fiscal cliff bill to raise taxes and postpone the promised sequester savings, urging activists to call their Senators to vote “NO.” FreedomWorks also issued a Key Vote against the House version of the bill (H.R. 8) today, urging activists to contact their Representative’s offices immediately to vote “NO.”

FreedomWorks is also encouraging taxpayers to sign a petition to tell Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senator Mitch McConnell to stand firm on principle and to reject tax hikes on millions of hard-working Americans. The petition amassed almost 2,000 signatures within the first hour, and currently stands at over 20,000 signatures and rising.  

Kibbe continued, “Washington has a spending problem, not a tax shortage. We cannot secure America’s economic future until Congressional leadership and President Obama return to regular order. Pass a budget resolution by April 15th, as required by law. Propose legislation through an open legislative process. Pass the 13 appropriations bills -without special interest earmarks- in the light of day. If Congressional leadership fails to do the bare minimum to secure our economic future, then we will find someone that will.”

FreedomWorks maintains its position that Congress should have kept its promise of $1.2 trillion in ten-year sequester savings, extended all current tax rates for one year, and gone to work in 2013 tackling serious tax and entitlement reform.

FreedomWorks is a grassroots service center to a community of over 2 million activists dedicated to advancing the ideas of individual liberty and constitutionally-limited government. For more information on FreedomWorks’ fiscal cliff position, please visit www.FreedomWorks.org, or contact Jackie Bodnar at Jbodnar@FreedomWorks.org.