House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today insisted that Democrats might still hold a vote on middle-class tax cuts before the midterm elections in November. But she was also careful to caution that it might not happen, and claimed there’s little at stake, politically, if it doesn’t.
“We will retain the right to proceed as we choose,” Pelosi told reporters at her weekly press conference.
That leaves her plenty of wiggle room if the House adjourns next week without resolving the issue of the expiring Bush tax cuts. And if members do go home without casting that vote, she said, they won’t necessarily suffer politically.
“There isn’t a person in our caucus that isn’t for tax cuts for the middle class,” Pelosi said. “And it’s not about the election, it’s about the policy, and we’re all very strong on that. And members, with a vote or without a vote, can go home and talk about their commitment to that.”
Brian Beutler
Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight, and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com.
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