AOL NEWS: Republican senators led a filibuster Saturday to block consideration of two Democratic proposals to permanently extend the expiring Bush tax cuts for all but the highest earners.
In a rare weekend session, senators voted 36 to 53 against moving to a House-passed bill that would have extended the Bush-era tax reductions for everyone making less than $250,000, as well as the first $250,000 of income for higher earners. That was seven votes short of the three-fifths majority needed to break the filibuster. Four Democrats– Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jim Webb of Virginia, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin– voted with the Republicans to block action on the bill, as did Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut.
Later, by a 37 to 53-37 vote, the Senate also stopped consideration of “the Millionaires’ Tax,” a bill that would have extended the Bush tax cuts for every American making less than $1 million per year, while returning income taxes to 2001 levels for everyone making more than $1 million annually. Democratic Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Tom Harkin of Iowa, and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, along with independent Democrat Joe Lieberman, voted with the Republicans… (more)
