Payroll tax deal could come as soon as Wednesday

Flickr user 401K

Negotiators working to strike a deal to extend the payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits that expire at the end of this month are nearing a final agreement, according to aides and lawmakers with knowledge of the talks.

Both sides have scored key concessions from the other party, and a final deal could be reached as soon as Wednesday, senior aides familiar with the talks told CBS News. Democrats forced Republicans to drop their demand that the payroll tax break be offset, allowing $100 billion to be added to the deficit, while the GOP won concessions on unemployment insurance.

The maximum number of weeks an unemployed worker would be able receive benefits would gradually be shortened by 20 weeks and states would be allowed to require drug testing for those receiving the benefits. Most states would eventually have 63-weeks maximum, but it would depend on that state's unemployment rate.

Extending unemployment insurance through the end of the year would cost $30 billion dollars and lawmaker would prevent that from adding the deficit by requiring federal workers contribute more money to their pensions and by allowing the federal government to auction off spectrum.

Republicans also secured provisions popular with members like one that closes the "strip club loophole." That means welfare funds could not be accessed at ATM's if they are in strip clubs, casinos or liquor stores in an effort to force beneficiaries to make the best use of that money.

Another measure that would be included in the package is the so-called "Doc Fix" that prevents doctors who treat Medicare patients from seeing a nearly 30 percent cut in reimbursement rates from the federal government. A cut that would likely lead to many physicians denying seniors care. The deal would prevent that pay cut for the rest of the year.

The cost of preserving the current reimbursement rate for doctors is $20 billion which Congress would offset by eliminating parts of the President Obama's health care law including a health wellness prevention fund and some cuts to Medicare and Medicaid on the provider side.

If a final deal is reached today and language of the agreement is made public, the agreement would likely be considered in the House and the Senate by the end of the week.

Lawmakers and aides caution, however, that there is not a deal until negotiators finally sign off on the package, but lawmakers were cautiously optimistic that a final agreement will be reached soon.

[MatthewKWitt]

If you don't have health insurance and get sick, the tax payers have to pay for it anyway- so go get health insurance please- search online "Penny Medical" and learn how you can get insurance at discount price.

[Truth--Tracker]

This CBS article is a completely underhanded, sleazy stealth attempt to whitewash and cover-up the 'real' issue here. The bedrock pivotal skirmish-point is and always has been the question: "Will the super-wealthy be included in the "Tax Break Extension?" It's been a crucially important skirmish point because if the super-wealthy ARE included in the extension then they will not be making any sacrifices whatsoever in this budget-crunching rampage that is putting an end to school lunches for the poorest, hungriest children in this country.

And if the super-wealthy ARE included in the extension then this is a complete, unmitigated VICTORY for Republicans and a complete defeat for the Democrats who have repeatedly 'pretended' to be militant "no compromise" advocates for ending the extension for the super-wealthy. It's the exact opposite of what this CBS story claims.

Conspicuously absent from this article is any mention of this critical long-standing, intractible issue. Odd - don't you think? It's like a post-Super Bowl news report that never divulges the score and never states who won. It's so incredibly 'odd' that it wreaks with the stench of a cover-up -- an issue-muzzling, whitewashing scherade in a deliberate media attempt to defraud the public in the belief they have a short attention-span and have probably forgotten what 'real' issue was at stake here. The media is an indispensible instrument in political frauds perpetrated against the People. Boehner is 'pretending' to apologize to help the media defraud the public into believing the Republicans 'compromised' when in reality, they won the single-most hotly contested 'booty' that was on the line. The media fraud also helps treasonous Dem politicians by falsely claiming that they "won something important" when in fact they gave away the SOLE skirmish-point WITHOUT A FIGHT . . . again.

[NeedsVacation]

Extended unemployment insurance should be extended without delay.
Congress along with the president know there aren't enough jobs for the unemployed, and cutting their benefits would be irresponsible.

The US economy hasn't recovered one job from the 9 million lost during '08-'09 recession.
More people graduate college every year than the number of newly created jobs.

This is a crisis.
Don't make families than need the tax break and unemployment insurance suffer.

Read more: http://www.thestatecolumn.com/articles/2012/02/15/obama-expresses-support-for-unemployment-extension-proposal/#ixzz1mUPK4IG3

[xxixpines]

Shame on all of them for passing unfunded actions.

They know what this country wants.

Republicans and Democrats are all CLOWNS.

The only thing to do is to vote for anyone other than an incumbent of both parties.

[hindsightis2020]

America can save BILLIONS by eliminating those Republicans and Democrats that profit from the greatest anti trust violation in American history.

Montana PBS documentary Clearing The Smoke: The Science of Cannabis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aTbnO9I-TU

NOTE: The only individual that refers to cannabis as "smoking dope", is the fascist scum representing the U.S. Government.

Eliminate corporate fascism controlling the U.S. government and Americans will SAVE BILLIONS IF NOT TRILLIONS IN TAXES!

[Justiceserved]

Republicans believe in off-setting any reduction in taxes on average people as it adds to deficit, whereas tax breaks to wealthy & corps don't. They are not only a bunch of idiots, but morally bankrupt!!!