Fiscal Cliff Deal Reached: How Did King, Grassley, Harkin Vote?

Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, and Iowa's two Senators Tom Harkin, a Democrat, and Republican Chuck Grassley all voted against the final version of the “fiscal cliff bill” this week citing different reasons.

King is a ten year Congressman who will represent Ames in the new 4^th District. Rep. Tom Latham, whose district will no longer include Ames in the next Congressional session, also voted against the measure, according to clerk records.

King and Grassley said the bill didn't do enough to cut spending, while Harkin said the bill didn't do enough for the middle class.

King said that he felt the fiscal cliff legislation as a whole was bad for the country. He said he supported measures that addressed the Alternative Minimum Tax, The Farm Bill extension and the production Tax Credit for wind and biodiesel and making certain tax policies permanent, according to a statement released after the vote.

“I'm not for the permanent and accelerated growth in our debt and deficit. This bill makes no effort to curb the out of control federal spending that's to blame. In fact, it proactively puts off, for another two months, the sequestration - the only serious effort to begin reining in federal spending that's currently on the table. This bill will ensure that the President has yet another opportunity two months from now to pressure Congress for more tax and revenue increases,” King said in a statement after the vote.

Iowa had two of only eight total senators voting no against the deal.

Harkin said the legislation failed to address “our No. 1 priority” creating middle class jobs, according to a prepared statement he released on the fiscal cliff vote. He said the bill also made tax benefits for high income earners permanent but only extended tax benefits for “those of modest means and the middle class.”

Grassley said the bill didn't do enough to curb spending.

“It'd be one thing to raise taxes to reduce the deficit, but that’s not what this deal does. It's a fiscal farce to raise taxes and hurt economic growth only to fuel more government spending with record deficits and debt. People at the grass roots want Washington to spend less, not more. Failure to deal with spending lets them down. Spending restraint ought to be more than a wishful new year’s resolution with no way to be certain it’s kept,” Grassley said in a prepared statement.

The White House released 7 Things You Should Know about the Fiscal Cliff, saying that:

• Taxes on middle-class families will stay low permanently.
• People making more than $250,000 will pay more in taxes.
• It cuts the deficit by $737 billion.
• The Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the American Opportunity Tax Credit were extended for five more years.
• It extends the Production Tax Credit and the Research & Experimentation Tax Credit.
• It extended emergency unemployment insurance for 2 million people.
• It didn't cut Social Security benefits, Medicare or Medicaid.

Also important to Iowa, dairy and wind credits were extended. For now.

A.J. Spiker of Ames also the Iowa GOP Chairman released the following statement after the vote:

"I am proud of Senator Chuck Grassley and thank him for standing up for taxpayers by voting 'No' on the so called "Fiscal Cliff Deal." The bill passed by the Senate early this morning raises taxes without any meaningful spending cuts. The so called "Fiscal Cliff Deal" will only hurt middle class families, continue out of control government spending and fails to address the $16.5 Trillion Federal deficit. I strongly urge Congressmen Tom Latham and Steve King to follow Senator Grassley's leadership and vote 'No' on this ill-advised bill when it comes to the house floor."