Hoyer (almost) Concedes Bitter Pill On The AMT

There are always plenty of bitter pills for members to swallow at the end of the congressional session. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) was on the verge of swallowing a very big one Tuesday night.

Much as he might want to offset legislation sparing 23 million Americans from the alternative minimum tax, Senate Republicans won't let him get there.

The House majority leader issued a statement Tuesday night, in essence, conceding that point after the Senate defeated yet another House-passed AMT patch with tax increases to offset the projected lost revenue.

"Let me be clear, there is no disagreement between Republicans and Democrats over protecting the middle-class from the AMT," Hoyer said. "The question is, will we do so responsibly or charge tens of billions of dollars to our grandchildren?"