WASHINGTON (AP) — Fifty-four House Democrats are opposing President Barack Obama's tax deal with Republican lawmakers in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The lawmakers, led by Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont, said Thursday they are against "acceding to Republican demands to extend the Bush tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires."
They said the package adds too much to the budget deficit and is tilted too much in favor of the wealthy. Obama has argued that he had to agree to extend tax cuts for the wealthy to protect middle-income taxpayers from a big tax increase next year.
The 54 Democrats, by themselves, would not be enough to block the package in the House, depending on how much support it gets from Republicans.
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