May 17,2006

Grassley: Certain Democratic Leaders Need Schooling on College Tuition Tax Deduction

M E M O R A N D U M

To: Reporters and Editors
Re: Democratic leaders’ tax bill criticism
Da: Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Some members of the Democratic leadership are having a news conference this afternoon
to criticize the “pain the Republican tax bill will cause for middle-class families struggling to put
their kids through college.” Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, is
responsible for enacting the college tuition tax deduction in 2001 and is working to extend it through
legislation as soon as possible. He made the following comment on today’s Democratic leadership
news conference.

“The only pain here is having to listen to the same old inaccurate, hypocritical story. I’ve said
many times, on the Senate floor, in the Congressional Record, to anyone who will listen, and
apparently certain Democratic leaders won’t, that no one is abandoning the extension of the college
tuition tax deduction. It’s going in the second tax bill under development right now, for inclusion
in the pension conference report or any other vehicle that’ll get it done quickly and efficiently. That’s
the accuracy point. On the hypocrisy point, these Democratic leaders voted against the bill creating
the college tuition tax deduction to begin with. If the extension of the deduction is so important, I
don’t see why certain Democratic leaders forced the Senate to debate the bill carrying it three times,
delaying the legislation for months by their tactics. I hope they’ll have a change of heart and not
delay the next bill carrying the tuition deduction they say they support. It’s never too late for
intellectual honesty.”

Conference report on H.R. 1836, vote#170, May 26, 2001
Approved 58-33

Members of current Democratic Leadership and their votes:

Reid, Dem Leader: No
Durbin, Whip: No
Stabenow, Secretary of Conference: No
Schumer, Chair of DSCC: No
Dorgan, Chair of DPC: No
Clinton, Chair of Steering and Outreach: No
Murray, Assistant Floor Leader: Not Voting
Sarbanes, Chair, Ranking Member Outreach: No
Bingaman, Vice Chair, Ranking Member Outreach: Present (live pair)
Lincoln, Chair of Rural Outreach: Yes
Boxer, Chief Deputy Whip: Not Voting
Carper, Deputy Whip: No
Bill Nelson, Deputy Whip: No
Feingold, Deputy Whip: No