RICHARD BURR CONTINUES IGNORING JOBLESS NORTH CAROLINIANS BY VOTING AGAINST AID THIS AFTERNOON

Burr Votes Against Tax Breaks And Aid To Unemployed North Carolinians In Key Vote Today

Burr: “It Is Impossible For Any Candidate To Be Further To The Right Than I Am”

Senator Richard Burr continued his habit of ignoring North Carolinians hard-hit by the economic crisis, this time by voting against an unemployment compensation and tax break bill today in the Senate. This is the second time in two days that Burr has voted against this critical legislation. Despite Burr’s no vote, the bill passed on a bipartisan basis 62 to 36. Burr’s no vote today comes just a week after Burr voted against a short-term extension of unemployment benefits and funding for transportation projects, siding with Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning’s block on the legislation.

“Senator Richard Burr continued his habit of ignoring North Carolinians hit hard by the economic crisis, this time by voting against a bipartisan bill which includes tax breaks and aid to the unemployed this afternoon,” said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “Each vote Senator Burr takes just reinforces how out of touch he is with the people he has sworn to represent and it’s why North Carolina will have a new senator come November.”

Today’s bill includes close to 60 tax breaks for individuals and companies that expired at the end of 2009. The bill also includes a deduction for college tuition for couples making less than $160,000 a year, one for teachers who use their own money to buy school supplies, a tax credit for community development agencies that invest in low-income neighborhoods, as well as a tax break for restaurant owners and retailers who remodel their stores. The measure also prevents doctors from absorbing a crippling cut in Medicare payments, extends health insurance subsidies for the unemployed and gives cash-starved states help with Medicaid, the federal-state program providing health care to the poor and disabled.