Thursday, October 01, 2009

Rangel's Continued Power Is Remarkable   [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

from the New York Times:

“Everyone wants their own way,” said Representative Charles B. Rangel, Democrat of New York.

As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Rangel has his own demands. He is standing by his panel’s proposal to help offset the health bill’s cost with an income tax surcharge on the wealthiest taxpayers, though he concedes “it will be adjusted” to hit fewer people. Even limited to families with at least $1 million annual income, the plan is opposed by dozens of Democrats from affluent and Republican-leaning suburban districts.

Mr. Rangel is resisting some proposed alternatives, like a tax on insurance companies for their high-end policies or, as Mr. Obama proposed, a limit on the tax deductions the wealthy can claim.

Mr. Rangel is one of a small group of House leaders now meeting almost daily behind closed doors with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, to distill from the three bills produced in separate committees the one package that will go to the House floor. Ultimately, Ms. Pelosi will have to decide the disputes, Democrats say, presumably with input from the White House.

10/01 06:37 AMShare