Party Over Prosperity: What Tax Extenders Say About the 113th US Congress

What does every congressman want, besides being re-elected? They want to be seen as job creators. We know economic growth creates jobs (and helps reduce our national debt), so to that end, both parties have traditionally supported pro-growth tax incentives for a wide variety of businesses and industries. And while congress has become more polarized and ideological in recent years, last week’s passage of the tax extenders bill represents a real departure from its traditional bipartisan and pragmatic approach to job creation. How else would you explain a measly two-week extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind?