On Tuesday, Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman called for a temporary extension of the Bush tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year. “I’m hesitant to see taxes go up in the middle of a recession,” Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, told reporters at the Capitol. “I think we ought to wait til maybe six months, maybe at least til the end of the next fiscal year” to raise taxes.

“I’m afraid if we raise taxes, including on higher income people, it will have a bad effect on our economy,” Liberman added. “If we raise their taxes, they’re going to spend less.” Democratic senators Ben Nelson (Neb.), Evan Bayh (Ind.), and Kent Conrad (N.D.) have all similarly expressed support for extending the tax cuts.