Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 5771, Tax Increase Prevention Act.

“Today, the House came together on a bipartisan vote to extend tax breaks for hard-working taxpayers, but this could have been a much better package for America if President Obama weren’t blind to the will of the people.

“On November 4th, the America people said loud and clear that they wanted Washington to work together to find solutions for our country’s problems.

“Last week, Chairman Camp and Senate Majority Leader Reid were able to craft a bipartisan and bicameral compromise on tax extenders that would give certainty and stability to American small businesses and allow them to stay competitive in the marketplace. Unfortunately, the President threatened to veto that deal.

“While this wasn’t the best that Washington could have done for the American people, it does take important steps to help keep big government’s hand out of the pockets of hardworking American taxpayers. I am very happy to report that the legislative package we approved today does include my sales tax deduction that is so vital to thousands of small businesses in Tennessee.”