Pelosi keeps door open on war tax to finance the war in Afghanistan [View All]

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Pelosi keeps door open on war tax



http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/11/24/pelosi-keeps-door-open-on-war-tax/#more-79206

Posted: November 24th, 2009 07:52 PM ET

From CNN Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh

Washington (CNN) - Speaker Nancy Pelosi kept the door open Tuesday to a proposal by several senior House Democrats to impose a graduated surtax on American taxpayers to finance the war in Afghanistan.

While Pelosi wasn't pressed about the details of the new war tax, she pointed to strong reservations among Congressional Democrats about the costs of the war during a conference call Tuesday with several economic writers and bloggers.

"But let me say that there is serious unrest in our Caucus about can we afford this war?" Pelosi said.

Two years ago when House Appropriations Chairman David Obey, D-Wisconsin, floated a similar war tax to pay for the war in Iraq, Pelosi quickly rejected it. But on Tuesday Pelosi said the costs of the war and the impact they will have on other domestic priorities should be part of the discussion over U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.