Durbin urges GOP to back outsourcing bill

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WASHINGTON, July 15 (UPI) -- A Democratic U.S. senator Sunday urged Republicans to back legislation cutting tax incentives that encourage the outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the measure would discourage outsourcing and reward companies that keep jobs in the United States, but he accused the GOP of "making excuses."

"It would be great to see the Republicans join us in a bipartisan effort to create a tax incentive to bring jobs home," Durbin said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., declined to discuss the specifics of the bill on "Meet the Press," but he pointed a finger at the Obama administration for policies he contended left companies with no choice but to use cheaper overseas labor.

"The underlying issue is why did we make it so hard for American businesses to compete that they have to buy things from abroad?," Kyl said in response to the developing flap over the "made in China" uniforms worn by the U.S. Olympic team.

Kyl also used the occasion to reiterate Republican support for an across-the-board extension of President George W. Bush's tax reduction as opposed to allowing them to expire for top-tier income brackets.

Kyl said the wealthy were a source of job creation at a time when the United States should be pulling out all stops to get the economy moving. Durbin countered that requiring high-end earners would not derail the economy and would help trim the federal budget deficit.