“Of course, many Americans will be relieved in the short term that their taxes won't go up. However in the long run, they will be hurt when employers pass on to them one of the largest tax hikes in decades. Furthermore, this deal just postpones the inevitable, the need to solve our growing debt crisis and help the 23 million Americans who can't find the work they need.”

◼ U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today issued the following statement after voting against the so-called deal to avert the fiscal cliff by imposing job-killing taxes and failing to solve America's long term debt problem:

“I appreciate all the hard word that went into avoiding the so-called 'fiscal cliff'. I especially commend Senator McConnell's efforts to make the best out of a bad situation. Nevertheless, I cannot support the arrangement they have arrived at. Rapid economic growth and spending reforms are the only way out of the real fiscal cliff our nation is facing. But rapid economic growth and job creation will be made more difficult under the deal reached here in Washington.

“Thousands of small businesses, not just the wealthy, will now be forced to decide how they'll pay this new tax and, chances are, they'll do it by firing employees, cutting back their hours and benefits, or postponing the new hire they were looking to make. And to make matters worse, it does nothing to bring our dangerous debt under control.

“Of course, many Americans will be relieved in the short term that their taxes won't go up. However in the long run, they will be hurt when employers pass on to them one of the largest tax hikes in decades. Furthermore, this deal just postpones the inevitable, the need to solve our growing debt crisis and help the 23 million Americans who can't find the work they need.”

◼ Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Richard Shelby, Charles Grassley, Michael Bennet, Tom Carper, Tom Harkin Voted 'No' to Senate Deal - Newsmax

Late Monday, Sen. Rubio tweeted: "How can @BarackObama call his proposal a #deficit reduction package if it uses #taxincrease to fund more spending & it increases the #debt."

Rubio told reporters he "just couldn't vote for" the compromise.

“I ran for office because I wanted to be a part of solving these big problems, and time and again we're faced with options here that don't really do that," he said.

"The real fiscal cliff is the one that awaits us, and nothing happened tonight to avoid that.”

Sen. Lee, had a similar take, tweeting: "Even the best #fiscalcliff deal will leave 99% of a dysfunctional system intact."

From the Iowa GOP: Senator Grassley was 1 of only 5 Republicans to vote "NO" (the right way) on the so called fiscal cliff deal that raises taxes $41 for every $1 in spending cuts. Call Senator Grassley, thank him for showing leadership and standing up Iowa taxpayers (202) 224-3744

Statement issued by Senator Grassley
“It'd be one thing to raise taxes to reduce the deficit, but that’s not what this deal does. It's a fiscal farce to raise taxes and hurt economic growth only to fuel more government spending with record deficits and debt. People at the grass roots want Washington to spend less, not more. Failure to deal with spending lets them down. Spending restraint ought to be more than a wishful new year’s resolution with no way to be certain it’s kept.

I support preventing tax increases on Americans by extending the tax cuts I authored in the Senate in the last decade. After the election, Republican leaders in Congress offered revenue increases as part of a balanced deal that would also take on Washington’s spending problem. Instead, the President focused on raising taxes and missed a significant opportunity to tackle spending. Washington has a spending problem, not a taxing problem, and this deal doesn’t do anything about the spending problem.

This legislation contains a lot of things I support in addition to preventing a tax increase, including an extension of the farm bill, preventing tens of millions of families from being subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax that was never meant for them, repeal of the CLASS Act from the 2010 health care law, and the extension of the wind-energy production tax credit that I authored in August. Nevertheless, the fiasco was a major missed opportunity to take on Washington’s spending problem. The President focused on increasing taxes and failed to provide the presidential leadership needed to put Washington on a new path for fiscal discipline.”