Obama calls Boehner to push for payroll tax cut extension
CBS
President Obama called House Speaker John Boehner Wednesday to press him to accept a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, promising that if the temporary extension is passed, the president will sign a full, one-year extension into law by the end of January.
Mr. Obama also made a separate call to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and according to a White House summary of the call, "applauded him for the work he conducted with Minority Leader [Mitch] McConnell to achieve a successful bipartisan compromise" on the payroll tax cut.
The debate over an extension of the tax cut remains deadlocked, after the Republican-led House on Tuesday refused to accept a Senate-passed version of the bill, which passed with 89 votes and the support of all but seven Republicans.
If they payroll tax cut is not extended by the end of the month, about 160 million Americans would see their payroll tax revert to 6.2 percent from the 4.2 percent it was lowered to a year ago. Failure to act would also result in cuts to Medicare doctors' fees and a lapse in jobless benefits.
Both Democrats and some Republicans want to extend the tax cut, but the parties are divided over how to pay for it, as well as unrelated measures that have been included in the debate, such as a provision relating to a transcontinental oil pipeline. The Senate passed a two-month extension in order to give Congress more time to negotiate the sticking points.
Instead of voting on the Senate bill, the House voted in favor of forming a "conference committee" -- a small group of lawmakers from both the Senate and the House that would work out the two chambers' differences. House Republicans insist Congress should forgo the two-month extension and pass a full, one-year extension now.
In a USA Today op-ed published today, Boehner wrote, "We hope the president, who has repeatedly said he won't go on vacation until this matter is resolved, will urge Senate Democrats to change their minds. He should call on them to appoint negotiators so we can extend payroll tax relief for a full year and help create jobs."
With his phone call today, Mr. Obama did just the opposite, urging Boehner to change his mind.
According to a Boehner aide, Boehner maintained his insistence on passing a one-year extension this year, asking the president to support the conference committee.
"The speaker told the president that his conference was elected to change the way Washington does business and that we should not waste the next ten days simply because it is an inconvenient time of year," the aide said. "He said that our differences are not so great that we cannot pass a full-year bill by December 31st."
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said today that asking the House to go along with the Senate is "not much of an ask."
"We're asking them to vote yes on a bill that 82 percent of Senate Republicans supported," Carney said.
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President Obama called House Speaker John Boehner Wednesday to press him to accept a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, promising that if the temporary extension is passed, the president will sign a full, one-year extension into law by the end of January.
When Sauron speaks he blames hobbits!
Why would any responsible person create a bill for only two months? Think about the adjustments businesses will have to make to payroll and accounting systems to handle a two month change to payroll taxes. Think about the complications in filing income taxes as a result of this change.
It is one of the dumbest tax bills I have ever heard of. The question we should all be asking is why in the world would the Senate pass a two month bill? This is just dumb.
You are right about dumb except that both bills are insanely stupid for obvious reasons. (1) Don't need to extend any tax custs further; (2) don't need toplay politics witha pipeline thatis money-greased on it's way anyway. 2 months is as dumb as a year of this nonsense.
The media has a very powerful influence on how Americans view situations. All media has bias. Fox to the right, and almost everyone else is left leaning.
As a retiree I haven't gotten any tax relief in at least 3 years, of course income has been greatly reduced by Wall Street's shenanigans and the Feds response. Why should any retiree feel sorry for the 160 million or so who have been getting a break while we pay full taxes on our greatly reduced incomes
I guess throw grandma off the train was more than a movie, more of a movement
The arrogance of the Republicans has no equal in the history of this country. They feel the lower and middle classes exist to provide sweat and blood for the exclusive benefit of the upper class. Talk about having a sense of entitlement. Why, the closest House Majority Leader Cantor has ever been to a member of the lower classes is when he was being driven around by the family chauffeur. Orin Hatch said yesterday that the only reason people are unemployed today is that they just want too much pay. Hatch thinks a family 5 can live just fine if the entire family would just take jobs at McDonnalds.
There is no reason to expect anyone in Congress to have any emphathy for the lower classes. Congresspeople associate exclusively with the upper class, live in gated communites where the unwashed cannot go and send their children to exclusive private schools.
People who dare to protest the rule of the upper class are thrown into jail. In fact, in the United States today anyone who displeases the rulers can be held in prison indefinately.
I have always been proud of my country but today I can see no reason why any American should feel anything but shame at the way we have allowed our government to become a tool of a very small group of very wealthy individuals.
Hope that the House stands its ground.
1. Don't understand the issues 2 months does to every payroll department for every company out there.
2. Don't know who and what it hurts to pay for it
3. Don't care the money is not going into the SS fund with with they are using to pay for it.
Those that want this are just greedy, take a lousy $17 a week to help kill SS and the seniors that depend on it. This year it cost Social Security $160 Billion and it already had more going out that in.
Research the Bills you are talking about...
The TEAPUBLICANS DON'T WANT TO EXTEND UNEMPLOYEMENT...NEVER DID AND STILL DON'T.
Two months, Six months, 12 months....it don't matter dude.
This is an IDEOLOGICAL WAR between the BAGGERS and AMERICA.
The TEAPUBLICANS HAVE SHOT THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT with the way they AVOIDED VOTING FOR OR AGAINST THIS BILL...a "nuance" you are obviously ignorant off or are DELIBERATELY not talking about.
The rightwingnut talking parrot flock are coming up with all kinds of horse manure to cover their screw up....including YOUR BRAND of horse manure.
At least they got something done and had a 40% public approval rating
The Bonehead Republican Congress is down to 9%
Normally if you get 9% approval ratings you get FIRED.
But Congress seems to regard 9% like their golf score. Low score wins.