The hits just keep coming.
As TPM first reported last week, Rep. John Adler (D-NJ) has been rounding up signatures on a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, urging her to extend more than just the upper-income Bush tax cuts, passed in 2001. In addition, Adler and his crew want to extend the 15 percent rate on capital gains and dividend taxes, created by the 2003 Bush tax cuts. Other media outlets have since picked up on the story, and now Adler’s effort is gaining steam.
A source sent over a list of 44 Democrats that Adler’s office claims have signed on to the letter. That would be enough to tip the balance if these tax cuts come up for a vote before the end of this Congress. Pelosi has a great deal of discretion over whether that happens but, as we’ve seen today, the Democratic party doesn’t have an overwhelming desire to take a stand on letting any of Bush’s tax cuts expire.
A full list of the 44 members is below the fold. The signing deadline is tomorrow.
Late update: Note, not all the signers to the list support extending both the ’01 and the ’03 cuts. A few of them, including Rep. Scott Murphy (D-NY), support President Obama’s position on the ’01 cuts, but agree with Adler that the ’03 cuts should be extended.
Ed note: A spokesman for Rep. David Wu (D-OR) says that Wu is not, in fact, a signatory to the Adler letter. We regret the error.
Ed note: A spokesman for Rep Betty Sutton (D-OH) says that Sutton did not sign the letter. Note, the list itself comes from an internal Adler communique to members, obtained by TPM, claiming these names as signers.
John Adler (NJ)
Jason Altmire (PA)
John Barrow (GA)
Melissa Bean (IL)
Shelley Berkley (NV)
Marion Berry (AR)
Sanford Bishop (GA)
Dan Boren (OK)
Rick Boucher (VA)
Bobby Bright (AL)
Chris Carney (PA)
Travis Childers (MS)
Jim Cooper (TN)
Jim Costa (D-CA)
Kathy Dahlkemper
Lincoln Davis (TN)
Ted Deutch (FL)
Joe Donnelly (IN)
Brad Ellsworth (IN)
Ann Kirpatrick (AZ)
Kissell (NC)
Ron Klein (FL)
Suzanne Kosmas (FL)
Dan Maffei (NY)
Betsey Markey (CO)
Jim Matheson (UT)
Mike McIntyre (NC),
Michael McMahon (NY)
Walt Minnick (ID)
Harry Mitchell (AZ)
Scott Murphy (NY)
Glenn Nye (VA)
Gary Peters (MI)
Collin Peterson (MN)
Ciro Rodriguez (TX)
Mike Ross (AR)
Steve Rothman (NJ)
John Salazar (CO)
Loretta Sanchez (CA)
Albo Sires (NJ)
Zack Space (OH)
Betty Sutton (OH)
Harry Teague (NM)
David Wu (OR)
