Pat Dollard | Young Americans

WASHINGTON - Both houses of Congress endorsed the idea of tax increases for nearly all Americans Thursday as Democrats pressed ahead with budget plans that would allow all of President Bush’s reductions to die after he leaves office.

All three major presidential candidates interrupted their campaigns to cast votes on the budget planning, which is non-binding but highlights the difficult choices facing the next president and Congress. Binding votes on the expiring Bush tax cuts will be left to his successor and the Congress that’s elected in November.

The House version would let all of Bush’s tax cuts expire at the end of 2010 as scheduled. That five-year plan passed the House on a 212-207 vote with Republicans unanimously opposing it over what they argued was $683 billion in tax increases.

In the Senate, John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting, voted to extend the full roster of tax cuts. Democratic rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois both voted against them.

They joined with Democrats and a couple of maverick Republicans to reject, 52-47, an additional $600 billion in extensions of income tax rate cuts, more generous estate tax cuts and relief from the alternative minimum tax.

Republicans hope to use the votes as issues in the heated presidential campaign and for congressional races. Lawmakers in both parties also were put on record for when the tax cuts actually expire in three years.

Said Republican Rep. Jim McCrery of Louisiana, “Democrats are quietly but very assuredly paving the way for a massive, economy-choking, tax increase.”

On the subject of tax cuts, Democrats in the House defeated a GOP plan that would have extended Bush’s reductions—and went further by eliminating the alternative minimum tax, which was originally designed years ago to make sure people who had acheived the American Dream of substantial income pay at least some tax, but now threatens more than 20 million additional taxpayers with increases averaging $2,000.

Congress’ annual budget debate involves a nonbinding resolution that sets the stage for later bills affecting taxes, benefit programs such as Medicare, and the annual appropriations bills. Unless such follow- up legislation is passed, however, the budget debate has little real effect and is mostly about making statements about party priorities.

This is such a year. Congress rarely tackles difficult budget issues as elections loom, and a standoff with Bush means that Democrats may even take a pass on advancing the 12 annual appropriations bills.

The first year of an administration is typically when heavy lifting on the budget is done, but all the candidates’ campaign plans seem to promise more than they can deliver. McCain’s tax cuts would require applying a meat cleaver to spending, while the Democrats promise spending that would enlarge the deficit or require too-large tax increases.

The bills are H. Con. Res. 312 and S. Con. Res. 70.