U.S. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday voiced concern over Republicans' tax extender package and $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill, claiming the former provides hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to special interests and corporations, and the latter would jeopardize American jobs.
"Republicans' tax extender bill provides hundreds of billions of dollars in special interest tax breaks that are permanent and unpaid for," Pelosi said in a statement, according to Reuters. "These massive giveaways to the special interests and big corporations are deeply destructive to our future."
Just before midnight on Tuesday, the House posted its $650 billion tax extender legislation that would make 22 tax breaks permanent and extend numerous other tax incentives to businesses and individuals, some related to research and development and expensing, reported The Daily Caller. It also includes a two-year delay on a pair of new Obamacare taxes - a levy on medical devices and on high-end health insurance plans, known as the "Cadillac tax."
GOP leaders plan to bring the package up for a vote on Thursday in order to give lawmakers enough time to read it. Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic whip, joined Pelosi in criticizing the measure, which he said is too big and expensive, and asked party members to oppose it.
"It would undermine the deficit, creating a larger debt. It would undermine tax reform, taking off the table [a number] of the things that would be included in a tax reform bill. ... And lastly it would substantially undermine our investments in growing our economy and creating jobs," Hoyer told reporters in the Capitol, according to The Hill. "For all of those reasons, it is bad policy and ought to be rejected. And I hope it will be rejected by the House and by the Senate."
The House also rolled out the $1.1 trillion, 2,009-page omnibus spending package on Wednesday morning at around 1:30 a.m. EST, which is expected to be voted on Friday and would fund the government through September.
The spending measure reauthorizes a health insurance program for 9/11 first responders, includes cybersecurity legislation and overhauls the visa waiver program. Anyone who has visited Syria, Iraq, or other terrorist hotspots in the last five years will no longer be allowed to enter the U.S. without a visa, reported CNN.
The spending portion of the package would also repeal a ban on U.S. crude oil exports, which is the biggest Republican victory in the package and something Pelosi took issue with.
"There are concerns we have about jobs, that jobs would leave the country because of lifting the ban on crude oil exports," Pelosi told reporters, suggesting that she plans to work on the bill in the coming days to protect those jobs.
Funding for the government expires at the end of Wednesday, but the House quickly passed another short-term spending bill in a voice vote to keep the government funded through Dec. 22 and give Congress enough time to iron out the details of the spending and tax cut package. The Senate is expected to pass it before the midnight deadline.
