If Specter Votes for Health Bill Cloture He Will Violate Taxpayer Protection Pledge

If Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) votes for cloture on the Manager’s Amendment or for final passage of the Senate healthcare bill, he will violate his Taxpayer Protection Pledge – a written commitment Specter made to Pennsylvanians and the American people.

“Senator Specter promised the people of Pennsylvania that he would vote against any income tax increases,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Senate Democrat bosses have said that Senator Specter has promised to vote for a bill to give the government more control over health care.  That bill includes 18 different tax increases.”
 
When Sen. Specter ran for the U.S. Senate, he made a written Pledge to his constituents to oppose any net income tax hikes.  He is bound by that Pledge for the duration of his career as a senator.  The Senate healthcare bill contains nearly $500 billion in new tax hikes over the next decade, including billions in income tax hikes.