House Dems gripe about tax rate deal

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- House Democrats seethed over the tax-rate deal cut by U.S. President Obama and Republicans, but observers say the package likely has enough votes to pass.

Representative after representative railed against the plan, saying Obama acquiesced to Republican demands to extend tax rates for all brackets, including high-end taxpayers, in exchange for an extension of unemployment insurance and other Democratic-favored tax breaks, Politico reported.

"Our guys got taken to the cleaners," sources in the room reported Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen as saying.

Van Hollen was the House Democrats' negotiator in the talks among two administration officials and a lawmaker from each party in each chamber that produced the pact.

The White House, which was represented by legislative aides at the meeting, indicated it would send Vice President Joe Biden to Capitol Hill to try to ease tensions.

Republicans have signaled they would provide nearly total support for the measure, meaning less than four dozen Democrats would be needed to approve it, Politico said.

Those who spoke in favor of the plan were met with silence while other speaking against it got rounds of applause, people who attended the meeting said..

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev, said the unemployment benefits and tax breaks for families included in the package were vital to Las Vegas, where the unemployment rate tops 14 percent. She was got a frosty reception, observers said.

"I am not about to play a game of chicken with my constituents' lives, hoping Republicans are going to blink in January," Berkley said after the caucus meeting.