This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Senate Passes Middle Class Tax Cuts

The measure heads to the U.S. House where a political showdown is looming.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday narrowly approved a plan to extend the Bush-era middle class tax cuts to all households earning less than $250,000, with Connecticut Independent Joseph I. Lieberman joining Republicans to vote against the plan and Democrat Richard Blumenthal voting with the Democrats.

The measure passed the Senate on a vote of 51-48 and sets the stage for a political showdown next week in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is also expected to become a central issue in the presidential race.

Democrats want to limit the tax cuts, first approved during the presidency of George W. Bush, only to those making less than $250,000. Taxpayers making more than that are within the top 2 percent of income earnings in the country.

Find out what's happening in Newtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Republicans, however, argue the tax cuts should be extended to all Americans.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?