Blue Dog Democrats Push to Keep Bush Tax Cuts for Wealthy

With Congress poised for a showdown over the Bush tax cuts, 24 members of the Blue Dog Coalition – a group of House Democrats who tout "fiscal responsibility" as their core belief – are championing the extension of $70-billion-per-year tax cuts for the highest income-earners.

The Democrats voiced their positions in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), both of whom – along with President Barack Obama – support allowing the high-end Bush tax cuts expire as scheduled at the end of this year.

"We believe in times of economic recovery it makes good sense to maintain things as they are in the short term," they wrote.

Thirty-one House Democrats signed the letter – their names were first reported by Christina Bellantoni of Talking Points Memo. All but seven are Blue Dogs, Raw Story has learned.

Read full story from Raw Story.

Below is the list of the 24 Blue Dogs, as compiled by Raw Story, who opposing letting the high-end Bush tax cuts expire.

Rep. Allen Boyd (FL)

Rep. Jim Costa (CA)

Rep. Jim Matheson (UT)

Rep. Glenn Nye (VA)

Rep. Lincoln Davis (TN)

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (IN)

Rep. Dan Boren (IN)

Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC)

Rep. John Barrow (GA)

Rep. Zack Space (OH)

Rep. Jason Altmire (PA)

Rep. Jim Cooper (TN)

Rep. Joe Donnelly (IN)

Rep. John Salazar (CO)

Rep. Frank Kratovil (MD)

Rep. Earl Pomeroy (ND)

Rep. Jim Marshall (GA)

Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (SD)

Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA)

Rep. Mike Ross (AR)

Rep. Travis Childers (MS)

Rep. Walt Minnick (ID)

Rep. Harry Mitchell (AZ)

Blue Dog Democrats Push to Keep Bush Tax Cuts for Wealthy