No-Tax Pledge Is Paralyzing Congress

A House Republican spoke out against anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist on Tuesday saying his no-tax pledge and demands for “ideological purity” are responsible for “paralyzing Congress” during a time when a discussion about tax reform should be a high priority.

Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf is one of only six House Republicans who have refused to sign the pledge put out by Norquist’s group, Americans for Tax Reform, which asks all candidates in office to promise not to raise taxes.

The pledge, Wolf said, keeps members of Congress from having an open, honest discussion about how tax reform might help reduce the deficit. –BF

Los Angeles Times:

“Have we really reached a point where one person’s demand for ideological purity is paralyzing Congress to the point that even a discussion of tax reform is viewed as breaking a no-tax pledge?” Wolf said.

Wolf is one of six House Republicans who have not signed Norquist’s pledge, which comes with the threat of political blowback if it is broken. As Congress struggles with ways to cut the deficit, and many in Washington have discussed forging a bipartisan deal that would cut spending and raise taxes, Norquist and his group’s pledge have come under increasing scrutiny. Wolf went after Norquist personally, claiming he had connections to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the Internet gambling lobby and Fannie Mae.

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