U.S. Congressman LOUIE GOHMERT: Proudly Serving the First District of Texas

Washington -  Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-01) issued the following statement after voting against the two-month payroll tax cut extension pushed by the Senate and President Obama:

“The House, last week, passed a one-year extension of the payroll tax cut. This bill ensured 160 million hardworking American that their taxes would not increase.  Though I was not satisfied with some of the provisions in the bill, the number of responsible program reforms made it, on balance, a step in the right direction.

However, today, the House was called back to vote on a two-month payroll tax cut extension – not the full-year extension we passed which would provide certainty to America’s workers and job creators.  Back in 2009, I made the original proposal for a true payroll tax holiday that would allow people to keep every dime of their federal income and payroll taxes – not the small 2-percent fraction this represents. It was fully paid for by the unspent TARP funds, and my proposal was made before we were $15 trillion in debt. Unlike this temporary gimmick “fix” presented to the House today, my proposal meant people kept the money they earned, Wall Street got no more bailouts, it established the entire year’s tax law, and the Social Security Trust Fund and Medicare were not underfunded as the Senate proposal does.

This two-month postponement of making critical decisions does not provide workers, families, employers, doctors, and the American people the long-standing stability this country so desperately needs. We need long-term job stimulating solutions, which the Senate bill does not provide.

When I took on this role as a United States Representative, I made a commitment to the people of east Texas, and I intend to keep fighting for those commitments. At this time of financial insecurity, we must provide Americans more than a two-month remedy because we will not be able to see significant change without significant, responsible actions.”

Congressman Louie Gohmert is the Vice Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. Prior to being elected to serve in Congress, Louie was elected to three terms as District Judge in Smith County, Texas. He also served as Chief Justice of Texas'12th Court of Appeals.

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