WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) today called on Democrats to stop playing politics with the nation’s economy and extend the tax cuts to benefit American business owners, employees, and struggling families:

“Over the weekend, the U.S. Senate fortunately rejected the Democrats’ push to increase taxes on American families, giving the House an opportunity to prevent job-killing tax hikes from hitting the personal accounts of a wide range of Americans.  Despite assurances to the American public that a compromise will be met, the President is under a great deal of pressure from his own political party to increase taxes on hundreds of thousands of Americans.  I compel the President to work with me and my fellow Republican colleagues to directly help families across the country by preventing steep tax increases that will hit their wallets on the first of January, 2011.

“With national unemployment continuing to climb to 9.8 percent and 15.1 million Americans out of work as announced late last week by the U.S. Department of Labor, and California still sitting at record high unemployment of 12.5 percent, every legislative action taken by Congress will make an impact.  That’s why it is absolutely critical that Congress prevent the Democrat-driven tax increases planned for the start of the year.

“Republicans are remaining faithful to A Pledge to America made to constituents across the nation and staying committed to cutting spending and restoring fiscal sanity to the federal budget.”