WASHINGTON — For the fourth time this summer, Republicans stopped the Senate from taking up wide-ranging legislation that extends tax breaks for teachers, businesses and parents and provides tax credits to an array of renewable-energy entrepreneurs.
Major business groups, usual GOP allies, have implored Congress to act on the tax credits, many of which expired at the end of last year or will run out at the end of this year. But for a host of Republicans, it’s a matter of principle and politics: Many oppose what they say are new tax increases to pay for parts of the package and nearly all say the Senate’s only business now is acting on an energy bill that promotes drilling and other measures to boost the domestic oil supply.
The White House, citing new taxes and other objections to the bill, threatened a veto.
The vote Wednesday was 51-43, nine short of the 60 needed to begin floor debate.
The bill would extend about $18 billion worth of renewable-energy tax credits, helping out investors in wind and solar power, clean coal, plug-in electric vehicles and a variety of other areas.
The bill also would extend the research-and-development tax credit that expired in December and would revive tax credits for the deduction of state and local general sales taxes, higher-education tuition and teacher expenses.
It includes a one-year fix for the alternative minimum tax that is supposed to affect only the very wealthy but could hit about 25 million taxpayers unless Congress takes preventive action.
The bill also adds $8 billion to the federal highway trust fund to make up for an anticipated shortfall next year that could stop new infrastructure projects and result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Colorado’s senators split on the vote. Sen. Wayne Allard, a Loveland Republican, opposed moving the measure forward, while Sen. Ken Salazar, a Denver Democrat, voted in favor.
Allard said Democrats refused to let Republicans add the amendments they wanted.
“There is no silver-bullet solution to this problem,” Allard said. “We must increase our supply of traditional energy sources as soon as possible as a bridge to the future when we can sustain a vibrant economy with alternative sources of energy.”
Salazar said, “If we don’t pass this bill, we will be pulling the rug out from under the investors, entrepreneurs and consumers who are driving the clean-energy revolution and working to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
Denver Post staff writer Anne C. Mulkern contributed to this report.
