Dear Friend:

Thank you for reading another edition of my e-newsletter, the Carson Courier. For additional information on these and other topics, please visit my website at http://www.carson.house.gov.

In this week's Courier:

House Votes to Repeal DADT
Lowering Taxes and Extending Unemployment Benefits

House Votes to Repeal DADT

It is my firm belief that any patriotic American willing to give his or her life in defense of our country should be able to do so openly and honestly. They should never be forced to lie about who they are in order to continue their service. With the most recent vote in the House to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, our country is one step closer to ending an extremely flawed policy that has removed hundreds of qualified troops from service and prevented countless others from pursuing careers in the military.

A recently released Department of Defense survey indicates the vast majority of our men and women in uniform support repeal. They recognize, as do I, that by ending this discriminatory policy, we not only preserve our national security, we strengthen it. This important vote marks the second time that the House has approved a measure to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell in recent months. Now, the time has come for the Senate to finally act to repeal this misguided policy.

Lowering Taxes and Extending Unemployment Benefits

This week, the House voted on a broad tax package that would extend the Bush-era income tax cuts, reduce employee payroll taxes, and extend jobless benefits for those still struggling to find employment. Below is a quick summary of the benefits that will go into effect once this bill is signed by the President:

• Extends unemployment benefits for another 13 months.
• Two-year extension of current tax rates, including a top capital gains tax rate of 15 percent
• Employee share of payroll tax dropped from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent-a tax reduction of more than 32 percent.
• Extension of tax credits to college students to help make education more affordable.
• Twenty-two million families exempted from the alternative minimum tax.
• Expansion of $1,000 Child-Tax Credit to more families.

While this bill was far from perfect, I voted for passage because the benefits to lower and middle-income Americans are too important to delay. Please click here to see my statement on the tax package.

Thank you for reading the Carson Courier. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts and concerns. For more information, please visit my website at http://www.carson.house.gov and my new Congressional Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/CongressmanAndreCarson. I value your views and your input which help me to better represent the people of Indiana's 7th District in Congress.

Sincerely,

André Carson
Member of Congress