The United States Senate voted 89-8 Tuesday morning to pass the fiscal cliff deal. Both Missouri Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt commented on the deal.

"Having worked hard to get these tax policies passed in 2001 and 2003, I'm glad that this vote protects middle class families and small business owners from tax hikes," Senator Blunt said.  "This bill permanently protects 99 percent of taxpayers from a tax increase, provides permanent tax relief and economic certainty for every American, and ensures the vast majority of farm families and small businesses in Missouri will not face the unfair death tax."

“This deal isn’t perfect, but it achieves what’s most important here by protecting middle class families, and it’s a down-payment toward a more realistic economic policy," Senator McCaskill said.  "It also represents a fact that too many in Washington seem to have forgotten—that compromise requires give-and-take. That’s a value Missouri voters strongly endorsed just a few weeks ago.  Starting now, Congress has got to do better. We have hard work ahead to address the budget deficit in the type of broader, balanced package I have long fought for. And we need to put an end to these eleventh-hour stalemates that do nothing but endanger our economy.”

The compromise, in addition to protecting tax rates for middle class families, also prevents a pay raise for members of Congress—a longtime goal of McCaskill, who has consistently fought for legislation to end automatic Congressional pay raises. As a result of McCaskill’s fight to end automatic pay raises, members of Congress have not received a pay raise since 2010.

More From AM 1050 KSIS