Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) quipped that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was a “cheap date” for voting for President Trump’s giant tax and spending package, seemingly for a tax break for fishermen, during a House Rules Committee hearing on Tuesday.
The comment came after Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) asked House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) about a new tax break for whalers and fishermen. It was one of many Alaska-specific items that were added to the bill in the final weeks.
“Are you talking about allowing someone who uses a harpoon to deduct the cost of that harpoon? That’s correct, that’s included,” Smith responded. “It’s a business expense.”
“It’s a new tax break,” Neguse interrupted.
“It’s a business expense that was capped at $10,000 and now they can deduct it,” Smith continued.
“Up to $50,000, right?” Neguse added, which Smith confirmed.
“Why was that added? I think we all know, right?” Neguse asked while smiling, seemingly referring to Murkowski, who was initially a “no” on the bill but flipped after grueling, last-minute negotiations. She sealed the deal as a crucial 50th vote for Republicans.
“You’d have to talk to the senators,” Smith responded.
McGovern, a ranking member of the House Rules Committee, later interrupted Neguse to ask if that addition to the bill was “all it took” for Republicans to get a “yes” from Murkowski.
“Is that all it took?” McGovern asked Neguse.
“I’m not sure,” Neguse responded.
“Boy, she’s a cheap date,” McGovern said before Neguse continued questioning Smith.
The bill, which passed in the Senate on Tuesday and now heads to the House, creates a tax exemption for fishers from western Alaskan villages and a separate provision that gives some whaling captains in the state the ability to deduct $50,000 of their expenses, a fivefold increase.
Murkowski said on Tuesday the process that led her to vote for the bill was “agonizing,” noting that she hopes more will be done to improve the bill. She also said she “struggled mightily” with the potential impact of cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on vulnerable populations.
“This is probably the most difficult and agonizing legislative 24-hour period that I have encountered, and I’ve been here quite a while and you know I’ve got a few battle scars underneath me,” Murkowski told reporters.
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