On Tuesday the House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 3630, the "Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011." Our colleague at the Heritage Foundation, David Addington, has a comprehensive review of the legislation here.
Having read Addington's review it is clear to us that there are some very positive pieces of conservative policy in the bill.
On the positive side of the ledger, some of the legislation's highlights are:
- Providing for the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline project, would "allow oil to flow from Alberta, Canada to U.S. gulf coast ports and in the process improve America's energy security, create thousands of jobs, and generate deficit-reducing revenues for the federal government and a number of states,"
- Extending the employee payroll tax deduction thereby preventing a tax hike on American workers,
- Enacting deficit reduction through fees on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, additional means tests to Medicare, increasing the amount federal employees and Members of Congress must pay in to their retirement plans and eliminating 2013 cost of living adjustments for federal employees and Members of Congress.
While the bill is by no means perfect, it should warrant serious consideration by conservatives in the House of Representatives.
The real danger here is the Senate. If the House passes this bill tomorrow, the Senate will have to act. Senate Democrats should drop their tedious strategy of dividing Americans through class warfare and do everyone a favor by passing the House-passed bill and then leaving town for the year.
House conservatives should oppose any effort by the Left to weaken this legislation.