WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today issued the following statement after voting against the Tax Extenders Act (H.R. 4213):

“I voted against this legislation because it would add another $100 billion to the national debt.  I supported an amendment that would have offset the full cost of this legislation, though the effort failed because of opposition from the majority party.  It is greatly disappointing that Democrats did not agree to offset the bill’s cost. 

“This was a tough vote because the bill contained a number of measures I have strongly advocated, including disaster assistance for Mississippi farmers and the extension of GO Zone tax benefits that have helped the Gulf Coast continue its recovery.  The bill also included a number of other provisions that I support, including tax relief and an extension of the temporary ‘doc fix’ to prevent payment cuts to doctors who treat Medicare patients. 

“Unfortunately, the positive aspects of this bill were outweighed by the fact that it does far too little to find savings elsewhere to cover its cost.  With more than $12 trillion already on our nation’s credit card, we need to stop adding to the deficit and borrowing from future generations of Americans.”

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