Obstructing Progress

By U.S. Senator Jon Kyl After a month back in our home states with constituents, Members of Congress return to Washington. While I'm normally optimistic, I fear that partisan obstruction could prevent us from accomplishing much more before the November elections. Just look at the recent record. Shortly before the Senate left for its August break, Democrats blocked consideration of a bill that would have provided long needed relief for small business employees and their families. Due to soaring health care costs, small businesses are struggling to provide health care benefits to their employees; currently, less than 40 percent of small firms in Arizona offer employee health insurance coverage. The bill would have allowed small business to band together and negotiate better benefits at better prices like large companies do. Senate Democrats also blocked another bill that would have answered the needs of many American families. It was the result of arduous negotiations, with Republicans offering something that Democrats have long trumpeted an increase in the federal minimum wage. Yet Democrats were willing to kill what they had long advocated just to deny Republicans a victory in the form of death tax relief. The death tax is an unfair, inefficient, economically unsound tax that can force families to sell their small business just to have enough money to pay the tax as high as 55 percent! The bill that included the minimum wage increase and death tax reform also supported higher education opportunities by allowing deductions of up to $4,000 for higher education expenses. It also would have helped our teachers by letting them deduct classroom expenses of up to $250 for any costs that come out of their own pocket. And it would have extended the ability of states and local governments to issue bonds to repair schools, purchase equipment, and train teachers in certain economically distressed areas. The bill would also have benefited our nation's active military personnel and veterans. It would've given military personnel the option of including combat pay in the earned income credit calculation and created a one-time exception for veterans from the mortgage revenue bond first-time homebuyer requirement. It would've expanded eligibility for the qualified veterans' mortgage bond program by repealing the requirement that veterans must have served before 1977, and reducing the eligibility period from 30 to 25 years. How could Senate Democrats kill these initiatives when Republicans control the Senate? Because of Senate rules, unless at least 60 Senators support consideration of a bill, it cannot come up for a final vote. The Democratic Leader was able to hold at least 41 Democratic Senators together to vote "no." I predict that this will be their tactic when we return obstruct business. Why? It has two benefits for Democrats. They can prevent Republicans from getting things done. And they can put off action on bills (such as immigration reform) until after the election, with the hope they will win the House and Senate and be better positioned in the new Congress next year. I am hopeful we will see a constructive and cooperative attitude in Congress; but with the Fall elections just around the corner, don't bet on it.