House Republicans: Bush tax cuts still don't have to be paid for

House leadership John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Jeb Hensarling, Eric Cantor, Cathy McMorris Rodgers:
deficit peacocks. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) While the House Republicans are holding preventive health care hostage over a measly $5.9 billion extension of low student loan interest rates, insisting that the measure be paid for in a politically painful way because THE DEFICIT!!!!, they now announce that they have absolutely no intention of paying for an extension of the Bush tax cuts. Really. To the tune of $2.4 trillion over the next decade.

House Republicans say they have no plans to pay for the extension of the Bush-era tax rates, a move that could erase the deficit reduction they have achieved since winning their majority in the chamber in 2010. [...]

It is Republican Party orthodoxy that tax cuts do not need to be offset because of the additional tax receipts they spur through economic growth. And in interviews, even House Republicans who have broken with the party leadership on taxes told The Hill they do not believe the extension of the Bush-era rates needs to be paid for. [...]

'From my perspective, you're setting tax policy on a permanent basis, long-term basis,' said Rep. Tom Reed (N.Y.), a freshman Republican and member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. 'It's not a pay-for situation. It's just strong policy that needs to be adopted.'

Remember, though, that certain kinds of tax cuts do have to be paid for: the ones that help the most amount of people and that Democrats want, like the payroll tax cut. That's a tax cut they had to draw blood on. They would happily destroy every social program in effect and leave every American in crippling debt to keep their defense spending and tax cuts for millionaires. And the tax cut fairy will sprinkle her magical economic growth dust on the nation and we'll all thrive once again.

Here's another silver-platter present to Democrats in the latest skirmish on student loan interest rates. The Republicans don't have a leg to stand on in demanding that it be paid for. None.

And when it comes time to deal with the Bush tax cuts? They have to expire.