Like many of you, I have been very frustrated in the last few weeks as Congress has tried to complete its work on extending much needed tax relief for hard working families across this nation. Once again, negotiations were taken to the brink, this time as the deadline approached on the payroll tax holiday, unemployment benefits, and Medicare physician repayments. While the process as a whole has been frustrating and emblematic of Washington’s broken processes, I am relieved that American families will not lose money from their paychecks this month.
Several weeks ago, I voted for H.R. 3630, which would have provided a one-year extension of tax relief, extended unemployment benefits for 13 months and instituted reforms to the program that help folks get the training and education they need to get back to work, and protected seniors’ health care for the next two years by ensuring that a change in the Medicare reimbursement wouldn’t be reflected on their health care bills. This bill passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday, December 13, and was sent to the Senate for consideration. The Senate did not pass this legislation, choosing instead to pass a two-month extension of these provisions. On Friday, December 23, an agreement was passed to extend these vital benefits to American families for two more months, while at the same time setting up a conference committee so that the House and Senate can meet to resolve their differences and extend these provisions for a full year.
Over the last year, as well in the past few weeks, I’ve heard from many folks in the First District who remind me again and again that economic uncertainty is preventing them from making the important financial decisions facing their families. That’s why I voted to extend tax relief to hardworking taxpayers for a full year. I am relieved that Americans did not see their taxes go up on January 1, 2012, but I believe Congress has got to stop playing political games and do what is right for the American people by extending these much needed benefits for a full year.
As always, I encourage you to keep in touch with me via my website (www.wittman.house.gov), by phone (202-225-4261), on Twitter (https://twitter.com/RobWittman), or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RepRobWittman).
Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Armed Services Committee where he is the Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
