The ol' grass mower was in Dubuque
parroting GOP talking points about Bush's taxes;
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Thursday that he opposes letting any of the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of the year.
At a meeting of the Dubuque Optimist Club on Thursday, the Iowa Republican addressed an issue that likely will ignite Capitol Hill when lawmakers return after the August recess. To avoid a filibuster in 2001 and 2003, Republicans passed temporary tax cuts slated to sunset at the end of this year. As the deadline looms, President Barack Obama has proposed letting the tax cuts expire for those who make more than $200,000 per year. Obama supports extending the cuts for middle-class and low-income earners.
Grassley said Senate Republicans want all of the Bush tax cuts extended, including those for higher earners.
"If we can't do it forever, if we could just do it until we get through this recession, it would help," he said. "There's a rule that you don't raise taxes during a recession."