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American Morning

White House Accuses Senate Democrats of Stalling Tax Cut

Aired May 22, 2001 - 10:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We begin in Washington where your taxes are the day's stock-in-trade. The Senate is back at work this morning after a marathon session of amendments pushed it late into the night. And more tinkering fueled largely by partisan politics is on the docket for today.

CNN White House correspondent Major Garrett joining us with more on this. Major, good morning.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. White house press secretary Ari Fleischer already firing a bit of a shot at some Senate Democrats this morning, just a few moments ago telling reporters that the president of the United States is concerned that some Democrats have engaged in foot-dragging and stalling tactics; stalling tactics that Mr. Fleischer said would prohibit Americans from receiving the tax cut just as fast as possible.

The White House wants the Senate to pass the tax cut today. They would like to merge it with the House bill and have it done, all the work done, by Friday. And there's one thing in particular this White House is looking at very closely, and that is how Congress writes, how it's going to treat the $100 million in retroactive tax cuts.

What the White House wants is a very simple declarative part of the tax bill that says if you earned over $6,000 last year, you get a $300 check. If you're a combined income, married, with more than $12,000, you get a check of $600. They want it clean and simple. If the Congress in fact does that, those checks, the Treasury Department tells CNN, could be in the mail as early as July 15th -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Major, no matter when this goes through, if the Senate votes on it today or later or if it goes by the president by Memorial Day, this has to be considered a great victory for President Bush, getting through a tax cut, almost all of what he wanted, and with, I think, at a speed greater than most people ever expected?

GARRETT: Lightning speed really, Daryn, as far as Washington works, and the best comparison is Ronald Reagan's tax cut of 1981. This tax cut compares in some ways to the size and the scope of that tax cut. That was not finished by Congress until August, and to have it done possibly by Memorial Day weekend would set almost an indoor record here in Washington.

KAGAN: The indoor track record. Major Garrett at the White House, thank you.

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