NEW: Cicilline Rips Republicans for Payroll Tax Cut Failure

NEW: Cicilline Rips Republicans for Payroll Tax Cut Failure

U.S. Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) released the statement below today following the failure of the House of Representatives to pass the bipartisan comprise reached by the Senate to extend unemployment benefits and the payroll tax cut:

“Today, House Republicans and Tea Party extremists refused to extend the middle class tax cut and unemployment insurance benefits that were passed by the U.S. Senate in a bipartisan compromise last week.

“The Senate, both Democrats and Republicans, worked together to craft this bipartisan solution and House Republicans should have put aside partisan politics and passed the same bill.

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“Allowing the payroll tax cuts to expire at the end of this month will result in an estimated 600,000 hardworking Rhode Islanders losing a total of $400 million in tax relief, and more than 11,000 Rhode Islanders losing their federal emergency unemployment benefits.

“This is outrageous, and will have devastating consequences for Rhode Island families and will further damage our economic recovery.”