Over protests from most of their Democratic colleagues that the bill was not paid for, House Republicans passed a package of tax extensions on Thursday that is estimated to add more than $600 billion to the national debt over the next 10 years.
The bill, which will ultimately be merged with the so-called omnibus -- a $1.1 trillion spending measure that will fund the government until next October -- is estimated to cost $629 billion over the next decade and is not offset with other spending cuts.
The House passed the measure 318-109, with all but three Republicans supporting the it and Democrats splitting their vote, 77 in favor and 106 opposed.
"This is not Washington's money; it's the taxpayers," said Ways and Means chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas).
Brady, who moved into the Ways and Means slot after Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) left the position to become speaker, said the most important thing for voters to know was that "this bill prevents their taxes from increasing, helps create more jobs in their communities and makes it easier for them to do their taxes."
But Democrats largely objected to the sweeping tax legislation, which would make the so-called Research and Development tax credit permanent and extend several other tax breaks.
"The long-term negative dangers of this legislation make the price too high," said the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, Sander Levin of Michigan.
Levin criticized the bill for not finding a way to replace the revenue the government would lose. He said that the measure would further jeopardize future cuts to other domestic programs as Republicans try to balance the budget by cutting programs.
Republicans countered that many of these tax provisions have been around for decades, and they argued that providing longer term extensions would provide more certainty to businesses and families.
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, however, said he had heard this speech from Republicans before.
"The certainty of this bill is that we will explode further deficits and provide for disinvestment," Hoyer said. "That's the certainty of this bill."
The Maryland Democrat continued that he did actually support many of the tax provisions in the bill, but he thought Congress ought to do the difficult work of actually paying for the legislation.
"This is easy to do," he said. "No courage required to vote for this bill. All you have to do is suspend commonsense."
Of the cuts that made it, here are the largest permanent breaks:
Boosting the child tax credit to $3,000: $88 billion.
The American Opportunity education credit: $80 billion
The earned income tax credit: $30 billion
Deduction for state and local sales taxes: $42 billion
The research and development tax credit: $113 billion
"Section 179" deductions for business expenses: $77 billion
Active financing income breaks for keeping foreign earnings offshore: $78 billion
Michael McAuliff contributed to this report.
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Even if he really wants to help, your member of Congress can't do much if you notify the office at 5 p.m. Friday about a family member set to be deported Monday morning. Likewise, members of Congress can't help you circumvent the law, and they can only help you resolve matters that fall under federal jurisdiction.
Each member has staffers -- usually based in their district -- who focus on helping constituents with these problems. Before they can inquire on your behalf, though, the office must have a privacy release form, notes Kathie Green, director of constituent services for Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.). Each office has its own form, which can be found on its website.
You must contact a member of Congress who represents you; otherwise, they can't help you. Green points out that you should contact the office of only one member of Congress. Asking multiple offices to help you further burdens the agencies they're contacting and doesn't improve your chances of getting help.
"From a constituent standpoint, sometimes it's hard to have patience," Green said. Congressional staffs "do the best job possible" and have developed relationships with federal agencies to help you as quickly as they can.
Members of Congress send letters for a variety of occasions, including milestone birthdays, Eagle Scout Awards, Girl Scout Gold Awards, citizenship, military academy appointments, retirements, births, graduations and weddings.
You may apply for a nomination from each member of Congress who represents you -- your U.S. representative as well as both senators from your state. Each member of Congress is allowed to have a maximum of five cadets at each academy at one time and is allowed to nominate up to 10 individuals at one time.
