Dear Inconel710:
Thank you for contacting me about the fiscal cliff agreement. I appreciate hearing from you.
The agreement extends the Bush-level tax cuts for individuals earning less than $400,000 annually and families earning less than $450,000. It also extends unemployment insurance and some other additional expiring tax provisions.
While the bill had many positive items, such as the extension of unemployment insurance, tax relief for most Americans, and an extension of the wind production tax credit, I ultimately voted against the agreement because it failed to make meaningful progress on reducing the deficit.
For four years in my townhall meetings across the state, Coloradans have told me they want a plan that materially reduces the deficit. This legislation did not meet that standard and failed to put in place a real process to reduce the debt down the road. Without a serious mechanism to reduce the debt, I was unable to vote for the bill. The bill passed the Senate on an 89-8 vote and the President signed it into law on January 2, 2013.
Putting the country on a sustainable fiscal path and bringing our debt under control is incredibly important to our economy and our standing in the world and is a top priority for me. I remain committed to continue working with any Republican or Democrat willing to address this problem in a serious way. Colorado's kids deserve no less.
I value the input of fellow Coloradans in considering the wide variety of important issues and legislative initiatives that come before the Senate. I hope you will continue to inform me of your thoughts and concerns.
For more information about my priorities as a U.S. Senator, I invite you to visit my website at
http://bennet.senate.gov/. Again, thank you for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Michael F. Bennet
United States Senator
Please do not reply to this message. If you would like to send a message to Senator Bennet, please submit a form at
http://bennet.senate.gov/contact. Thank you.
