Rangel’s heart tells him to undo some tax cuts

[babylonsister]

Rangel’s heart tells him to undo some tax cuts
By By Jessica Holzer and Bob Cusack
September 27, 2007

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), who has repeatedly dodged questions on how he would handle the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, is now acknowledging that he wants to abolish them for wealthy taxpayers.

Earlier this year, the Ways and Means Committee chairman voted for the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) budget resolution that called for repealing the cuts on the top two rates as well as on capital gains and dividends. Asked about his vote in an interview last week, Rangel conceded his preference for rolling back the cuts while insisting that he still doesn’t know what he would do in 2010, when the majority of the cuts expire.

“From time to time, my roots come up and I let you know where my heart is, but I cannot tell you where my votes will be,” he told The Hill.

After toiling for 12 years as the Ways and Means ranking member, Rangel appears to be relishing guiding tax, trade and Medicare policy for the majority in the lower chamber, though he expressed frustration with his party’s failure to muscle more of its agenda through the Senate.

Along with Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), he has been a force on trade, pushing the Bush administration to require tougher labor and environmental rules in its trade deals. This week, for example, Rangel’s committee unanimously approved the Peru trade deal with stringent standards in an informal panel markup.

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http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/rangels-heart-tells-him-to-undo-some-tax-cuts-2007-09-27.html