Conservative Group Challenges Lummis’ Tax Support

Last week, Wyoming Representative Cynthia Lummis voted in favor of a federal budget proposal calling for nearly $2 trillion dollars in tax increases. Being one of only 38 Congressmen in the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives to vote in favor of the budget, the group Americans for Tax Reform has challenged this vote by Lummis, questioning why she would support the budget proposal.

The budget of discussion was the one offered by Congressman Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) and Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) and was rejected by the House of Representatives by a vote of 382-38.

Americans for Tax Reform have called on Lummis to answer her constituents as to why she supports the budget which has the following elements:

• Raised income taxes by curtailing tax deductions
• Tax brackets and other provisions which increase with inflation
• Increased Income subjected to Social Security payroll taxes
• Workers must pay taxes on employer-provided health insurance
• Lower interest payments on the national debt to increase "savings."

Lummis is a Republican and notes on her website a belief that "...we must cut spending, not increase it" adding that "the federal government could stand to learn a thing or two from Wyoming’s state government, which by law operates under a balanced budget." In the most recent Wyoming legislative session, $2 Billion was slashed from the state budget in an effort to make ends meet.

Lummis was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008 after carrying over 52% of the statewide vote. Among Albany County voters in the 2008 election however, Lummis received only 38.4% of the 17,199 votes for Representative.

Only 11,578 Albany County residents voted for U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, Lummis did receive over 52% of that vote.