By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) praised the House’s passage of the Senate’s 60 day extension that ended (for at least 60 days) the budgetary crisis that has dominated Washington politics for more than a month.
Representative Sewell, a Democrat from Selma, issued a statement today, December 23, 2011 supporting the House and Senate passage of a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, unemployment insurance, and the Medicare physician fee fix: “Today, 160 million Americans will not see their taxes go up, nearly 24,900 Alabamians will not lose unemployment insurance while looking for work, and 48 million seniors will continue to have the medical care that they need.”
The leadership of the Republican control U.S. House of Representatives had been demanding that the Democrat controlled Senate appoint conference committee members to resolve differences between the Senate’s 60-day extension bill and the House’s one year long plan. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) from Nevada, supported by President Barack Obama, refused to appoint anyone to the Conference Committee to resolve the discrepancies between the bills. Sewell who has long supported the Senate compromise said “While our work isn’t over, I applaud President Barack Obama and our House and Senate Congressional Leadership for listening to the American people.” Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner reluctantly accepted Barack Obama’s terms late yesterday.
When the House and the Senate return from their holiday break they are expected to work on a compromise bill that will extend the terms for a full year. Sewell wrote, “I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to pass long-term measures that secures the middle class, sustains health care coverage and access for our seniors and promotes economic growth and job creation.”
The 60-day bill continues the current temporary social security tax (FICA) cut for another sixty days, extends unemployment benefits for the long term unemployed, and prevents automatic cuts in Medicare payments to doctors.
Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell represents the 7th Congressional District of Alabama. Her district includes parts of Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and the Black Belt Counties. The 7th District was represented by Artur Davis until he ran for Governor of Alabama. Rep. Sewell serves on both the House Agriculture Committee and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Sewell is an attorney originally from Selma, Alabama.
You can read Congresswoman Sewell’s statement at:
