Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : House to Take Up Tax Action Today

Democrats cleared the way for the House to take up its tax-cut legislation today. The action set the stage for a partisan floor fight between proponents of President Bush’s tax proposal and backers of the rival Democratic alternative. The House Rules Committee voted to schedule a vote first on the original proposal that Bush laid out during his State of the Union address last month and then on a streamlined version crafted by House Republicans. If those two are defeated--as is expected since the Democrats hold the majority--House members then will vote on the Democratic alternative.