Voinovich Opposes Extending Tax Cuts

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s proposal to extend Bush-era tax cuts indefinitely for everyone has sparked opposition from an unexpected source – fellow Republican Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, The Hill reports. To be sure, it’s not a complete surprise given that Voinovich has strongly advanced the cause of deficit reduction and has shown a willingness to flout Republican orthodoxy.

Would he vote for an extension of the Bush tax cuts, scheduled to expire Jan. 1? “My gut is probably no,” Voinovich told The Hill. “I think I would probably not vote, period, for it.”

He says he wouldn’t vote for an extension even if it only applies to people with annual income of less than $200,000, as President Obama has proposed. And he wouldn’t vote for a temporary two-year extension. That would only “kick the can down the road,” the senator said.