For Immediate Release: September 30, 2010

  Contact: NRSC Press Office (202) 675-6006

Mikulski Leaves Washington Without Protecting Taxpayers From Looming Tax Hike  

WASHINGTON – Putting her own narrow partisan interests above the wellbeing of her constituents, U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) failed to pass critical tax relief for families and small businesses in her state and instead left Washington, DC in order to campaign for her own reelection bid.

Mikulski and her Democrat colleagues left our nation’s capital and refused to renew the Republican-backed tax relief for families and small business owners, exposing voters to the nation’s largest tax increase in just 92 days, which the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has confirmed will hurt the economy and kill jobs.

Mikulski and the Democrats also left Washington without attempting to pass a federal budget – a duty they must perform by law – and they failed to finish their appropriations work, without addressing entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. In the meantime, Mikulski and her Democrat colleagues spent their last week in Washington, DC attempting to pass partisan new campaign regulations designed to protect their own jobs instead of helping taxpayers struggling to make ends meet.

“Barbara Mikulski thought it was more important to protect her own job instead of fighting for millions of taxpayers in Maryland and across America who are facing the largest tax hike in our nation’s history thanks to Mikulski and her colleagues,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond.  

“Mikulski’s selfish priorities demonstrate that she values her own narrow partisan interests ahead of the wellbeing of Maryland’s families and job-creators,” Bond added.  “Voters will soon have the opportunity to hold Mikulski accountable by electing Dr. Eric Wargotz, who has a record of keeping promises and fixing real world problems as an elected official, husband, father, small businessman and physician.”

Background Information:

The Democrats’ Massive Tax Hike Will Result In A $3.9 Trillion Tax Increase. (Thomas A. Barthold, Chief of Staff For The Joint Committee On Taxation, Memo To Jon Traub and Dave Olander, 8/6/10)

The Average Middle Class Family Across America Will See A Tax Increase Of $1,540 Thanks To The Democrats. ("Effect of Expiration of Bush-Era Tax Cuts on Average Middle-Income Family, By State and Congressional District," Tax Foundation <http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/26581.html> , 8/1/10)

American Small Businesses Are Hesitant About Their Future Due In Part To Uncertainty Surrounding The Democrats’ Massive Tax Hike. “Joy Staveley of Flagstaff, Ariz., said it was clear to her why people are more scared to take a risk on a new business: There are more regulations, taxes and government-mandated costs - and fears of more to come - with President George W. Bush's tax cuts expiring soon, new healthcare rules and pending legislation on energy.” (Don Lee, "Small Business Sidelined In Slow Recovery From Recession," Los Angeles Times <http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-smallbusiness-jobs-20100704-2,0,2662903.story> , 7/3/10)

In August 2010, Several Federal Officials Argued That American Job Creators Are “Frozen By Uncertainty About Taxes.” “Federal Reserve officials wrestled with a slew of questions about the disappointing recovery before deciding at a fractious Aug. 10 meeting to prevent their securities portfolio from shrinking, according to minutes released Tuesday. High unemployment was one issue. Several Fed officials argued that business was frozen by uncertainty about taxes, regulations and health- care costs.” (John Hilsenrath, "Fed Wrestled With Questions, Doubts," The Wall Street Journal <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703467004575463762951271490.html> , 9/1/10)

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