Energy Tax Squeaks Through the House

The Waxman-Markey tax on energy squeaked through the House of Representatives today on a 219-212 vote. Eight Republicans voted for the bill, while 44 Democrats voted against it. In a stunning display of arrogance, the Democratic leadership dropped a 300-page amendment onto the bill at 3:00 this morning. No one in either party had an opportunity to study it; no Congressman who voted for Waxman-Markey, as amended, has a clear idea what he voted for.

Minority Leader John Boehner made sure that someone knew what was in the bill by reading portions of the 300 new pages on the House floor, to the irritation of the Democrats:

The House’s vote today was deeply irresponsible–all economists agree that Waxman-Markey will damage our economy, the only question is how much–but it may not mean much in the end. As I noted last night, the Senate still needs to pass a version of the bill. Whether any cap-and-trade bill can get through the Senate remains doubtful, and if it does, a new bill will have to be written in conference committee to reconcile the two versions. Whether the carbon tax debacle will actually afflict our economy and reduce our wealth remains to be seen.

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