TPM: Dem (Chris Van Hollen) Offers Plan to Avoid Sequester

[flpoljunkie]

It will no doubt be rejected, but the Republicans must be called out for their obstruction.

Dem offers plan to avoid sequester
By Pete Kasperowicz

The Rules Committee is set to meet at 3 p.m. Wednesday to approve a rule for West's bill, and Van Hollen is expected to ask Rules to allow his alternative sequester replacement bill to be considered on the House floor as an amendment.

Under Van Hollen's amendment, the 2013 sequester would be repealed and replaced with new revenue measures that would avoid the need for spending cuts.

Specifically, Van Hollen's proposal would raise $46.7 billion by creating a minimum tax rate for people earning more than $1 million a year. It would also raise $26.5 billion by ending direct payments to farmers, and would raise a total of $38.2 billion by ending tax breaks for oil companies.

Earlier this year, the House approved the Sequester Replacement Act, which would maintain the same level of cuts at $109 billion, but would restructure those cuts to avoid Defense cuts. That bill shifted the spending cuts to mandatory spending programs such as food stamps and other social programs.

more...

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/249063-van-hollen-proposes-new-revenue-to-avoid-2013-sequester

[jberryhill]

1. Good

These kinds of proposals need to be floated now, and rejected by Republicans. Or, hey, if they accept a good one in the lame duck session, bravo for them.

Otherwise - Off the cliff and fix it in the next Congress. Period. Let's see those bastards say we need to raise taxes on the middle class to fix this problem.