Senate Republicans block bill to end tax breaks for outsourcing

Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would end tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas.

On Wednesday, the Senate voted 54-42 to end debate on S. 2569, the Bring Jobs Home Act — 60 votes were needed to advance the measure.

{mosads}Sens. John Walsh (D-Mont.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) introduced the bill, which would give companies incentives to bring jobs back to the United States, including a tax write-off for the relocating costs and an additional 20 percent credit.

Currently, U.S. companies can deduct from their corporate taxes some expenses of moving facilities overseas. Democrats said 2.4 million jobs have been outsourced in the past 10 years.

“It is wrong that American workers subsidize a corporate decision to pack up American jobs and ship them overseas,” Walsh said Wednesday. “That’s bologna.”

Republicans argue that if Democrats truly wanted to keep companies in the United States, they would work with Republicans to overhaul the tax code and reduce corporate tax rates.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) blocked Republicans from offering amendments to the bill, which is why they voted against advancing the bill.

“We Democrats are lined up against outsourcing,” Reid said ahead of the vote. “A vote against this bill is a vote against American jobs.”

The legislation was part of Democrats’ “Fair Shot” campaign ahead of the midterm elections. If Republicans vote against cloture, Democrats will likely use the vote against them in November, saying Republicans support Big Business more than creating middle-class jobs.

Walsh is one of the most vulnerable incumbents this election cycle. His opponent, Rep. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), ran Procter & Gamble factories in China. Walsh’s campaign has argued that Daines helped ship jobs overseas.