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WASHINGTON_Denouncing a "waste of money from people," the lawmakers Thursday voted decisively to impose a tax of 90 percent over millions of dollars in premiums paid by the employee in need of insurance giant AIG and others, alleging companies.

The 328-93 House vote. Similar legislation was introduced in the Senate and President Barack Obama quickly reported general support for the concept.

"I am delighted to receive a final product that will serve as a signal to executives who run these companies, the allowance will not be tolerated," said the President in a statement.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told his colleagues: "We want our money now to taxpayers. It is not so complicated. "

May the result was not complicated. But the imbalance does not vote the controversial political battle that preceded it.

Republicans Democrats have taken to task for rushing to tax AIG bonuses valued at $ 165 million after the majority party stripped of last month's economic stimulus bill a provision that would have prohibited such payments.

"This circus is happening here today, with this bill is not to get to the bottom of the question of who knew what and when they know," said House Republican Leader John Boehner of the Ohio.

He voted "no", but 85 fellow Republicans joined 243 Democrats to vote "yes." It was opposed by six Democrats and 87 Republicans.

The bill would impose a tax of 90 percent on premiums for employees with family incomes over $ 250,000 at the American International Group and other companies that have received at least $ 5 billion in funds refloating. It applies to all premiums since December 31.


The House vote, after only 40 minutes of debate, showed how the Congress can act quickly when the political will is there.

Only last weekend alleging that the giant out-paid insurance premiums totaling $ 165 million to employees, including operators in the financial products unit that caused the near collapse of AIG .

AIG has received $ 182.5 billion in federal funding and rescue is now 80 percent government-owned.

Disclosure of premiums triggered a national firestorm that the Obama Administration and Congress have rushed to contain.

In a statement issued by the White House late Thursday, Obama told the House vote "correctly reflects the outrage that many feel more sumptuous than the premiums provided AIG employees at the expense of taxpayers who have not kept the company afloat. "

"Ultimately, this is a symptom of a larger problem _ a bubble-and-bust economic value reckless speculation on the responsibility and hard work," he said. "This is what we must ultimately repair of building a lasting and widespread prosperity."

In his statement, Obama did not explicitly endorse the bill in the House. However, it was careful to take a wait and see attitude on the details of the final legislation, while making clear that it supports efforts to get the bonus money for taxpayers.

Topic # 1 raised by the Republicans of the House during debate was at the last minute to change a provision Obama's $ 787 billion stimulus bill to cap executive compensation for firms receiving government bailouts.

The measure would prevent the payment of premiums for AIG.

But the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee Chris Dodd, a Democrat of Connecticut and author of the provision, said the administration, he insisted that his proposal to change so that it applies only to payments agreed upon in the future.

That, critics claim, the way of AIG payments.

"The idea came from the administration," Dodd said Thursday

Dodd said he was not aware of any premiums AIG at the time the change was made.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner confirmed these conversations with Dodd. He said that the administration was worried about possible legal problems in the provision.

"We expressed our concern about this specific version," Geithner said in an interview with CNN. "But we also worked with him to strengthen the entire bill."

Treasury Secretary, who has been criticized for not learning AIG bonus payments earlier because he helped to orchestrate the bailout last year as president of the New York Fed, said again in the interview that he was not informed of the premiums until last week.

"And as soon as I heard about the full scale of these things, we went to explore actively all possible ways to solve this problem," said Geithner.

A _ but not as a punitive bill _ to recover the premiums paid by taxes has been gaining support in the Senate.

It imposes an excise tax of 35 percent on businesses to pay premiums of 35 percent and a tax on employees receive. The fees apply to all companies rescue to receive government money, but they are clearly oriented AIG.

"It's not just another case of fugue and arrogance and greed of the companies, shareholders of the excess provided by tearing around the executive suite," said Rep. Earl Pomeroy, DN.D. "These bonuses are a waste of money of the people. ... From there, we say no more. "

The Senate measure is sponsored by Senator Max Baucus of Montana, the chairman of the Finance Committee of the Senate and the Senior Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa. It should be brought to the Senate floor next week.


Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said AIG gave him a list of employees who received a total of $ 165 million in retention bonuses.

Cuomo said he will not release the names of employees until his office has responded to all the security concerns raised by the employees of AIG.

He also said he will work with AIG in the coming days to determine the workers who decided to return the payments.

Cuomo asked the name of Chief Executive Officer of AIG Edward Liddy through a subpoena. The deadline was Thursday.

Approximately 400 employees and future AIG employees received bonuses, but not all the gains on the $ 250,000 family income threshold set by the House bill.

Obama administration special envoy Richard Holbooke on AIG's board of directors in early 2008 when the insurance company agrees to the premiums, and in previous years of aggressive investment strategies that brought the company to the brink of collapse. Spokesman of the White House Tommy Vietor said Thursday: "Mr. Holbrooke had nothing to do with and knew nothing about the bonus."

While the House legislation requires a tax of 90 percent, Rep. Charles Rangel, DN.Y., chairman of the tax writing Ways and Means Committee, said he expected local and state governments to take the remaining 10 percent of premiums.

Rangel said the bill would apply to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, among others, to the exclusion of community banks and other small businesses that have received less money for rescue.

"The American people, demand for protection and that what we do today," he told the House.

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Bill HR 1586

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Associated Press writers Stephen Ohlemacher Julie Hirschfeld Davis contributed to this report.