Cantor Trying to Keep GOP United Against Stimulus

Thu, February 12, 2009 - 6:56 PM

Several Virginia Republicans remain opposed to the $789 billion stimulus bill as it heads for a vote in Congress Friday.

Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, the House Republican whip, worked Thursday to keep GOP members opposed to the bill. Not one Republican voted for the stimulus bill in the House last month.

“We should have a bill that works. This bill falls woefully short of a true stimulus effort,” Cantor said.

Cantor has called for more tax cuts to be included in the legislation. A third of the bill’s cost is tax cuts, but much of that is a continuation of a law to spare millions of middle-income Americans from paying the alternative minimum tax in 2009.

As Republicans rolled out of a private caucus meeting Thursday afternoon, lawmakers said it was likely that some moderate House Republicans would end up voting for the compromise bill.

“I don’t talk about numbers and where our counts are,” said Cantor, who was credited with keeping the GOP caucus united last time around. “All I can tell you is we need to have knowledge of what’s in the bill.”

It “is a little bit difficult for us to come through, but we will,” Cantor said.

Several Virginia Republicans remain opposed to the bill.

“We’ve got economists all over the place saying, ‘don’t do this,’” said Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-4th, who is one of 16 House Republicans who have repeatedly opposed every single stimulus, bailout or rebate vote. He said neither President George W. Bush’s tax rebates, the auto industry bailout nor the Wall Street bailout bills did anything to turn around the nation’s economy. “We’ve been right on all three,” Forbes said.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th, opposed the bill on grounds it did not have targeted tax relief for small businesses. “We’re making it harder for them, not easier for them with this,” he said.

Overheard
With Republicans expected to be on the losing end of the vote in the Democratic-run House, several lawmakers and aides were overhead leaving their caucus meeting with a hint of partisan rancor.

“We ought to tell that snake Rahm Emanuel–” one representative said, referring to the White House chief of staff.

Another pair of aides was heard laughing about how the Republicans, after losing the stimulus vote, could resort to using political rhetoric to rally the public to their side in opposing the spending plan.

“There’s certain things that suck about being in the minority, but throwing bombs is kind of cool,” one male aide said to an agreeing female staffer.

But Cantor said he was not looking for “any kind of moral victories or political victories. What I’m looking for is help for this economy and help for the families.”