Senate Won’t Consider Stand-Alone AMT Fix, Reid Says

The Senate won’t consider a small-scale bill to avoid an expansion of the alternative minimum tax or a cut in Medicare reimbursements to physicians if no broader budget deal is reached, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said.

Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said today the Senate won’t address any tax or spending provisions that expire at year’s end unless Republicans agree to let tax rates rise for the top 2 percent of earners, as Democrats are demanding.