JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — House Majority Leader John Diehl, R-Town and Country, challenged Gov. Jay Nixon to a radio debate next Friday on Senate Bill 509, the tax cut language Republicans sent to Nixon that Nixon says contains a “cataclysmic error.”
On the McGraw Milhaven Show on KTRS 550 AM earlier today, Diehl said that players on both sides appeared to be “speaking through surrogates” and “regurgitating talking points.”
“Let’s quit talking through surrogates and repeating these talking points and have a real debate about this issue,” Diehl said. “Let’s talk about what’s right with it, what’s wrong with it, and have a conversation, one-on-one.”
Diehl suggested that Nixon join him on Milhaven’s show next Friday to discuss their disagreement over a line in the bill that came to a head earlier this week. Nixon claimed earlier this week that a provision of the bill would remove the top tax bracket — all income more than $9,000 per year — by 2022.
Republicans, including Diehl, countered that Nixon’s analysis was “absurd.” Diehl said Nixon appeared to be deliberately misreading the bill to come to the worst conclusion.
“It’s laughable,” Diehl told reporters last week. “There’s simply no way that any court would rule with [Nixon] on this, we are not removing 97 percent of the state’s income tax. This is a simple, straightforward bill, and the Governor is engaging in typical fear tactics we’ve seen from him too often.”
Milhaven said his show would reach out to Nixon’s office. The governor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
