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Subscribe to RSSSpeaker John Boehner explains the House decision to postpone the vote on the Senate's version of the two month extension of the payroll tax cut.
The stalemate over how and whether to extend an expiring payroll tax cut will drag into Tuesday after House Republicans delayed a planned vote to reject a Senate bill to extend the tax holiday for two months.
House Republican leaders emerged following a meeting with rank-and-file members to say that the House would take up their votes on Tuesday. Lawmakers had planned to vote around 6:30 p.m. ET on Monday evening, but the 6 p.m. meeting of GOP lawmakers lasted longer than expected, over two hours.
Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said that the House Rules Committee, which sets the parameters for votes in the House, would meet tonight to set the stage for tomorrow's series of votes. Those Tuesday votes would include a measure to reject the Senate's two month extension, and instead instruct lawmakers to meet in a conference -- the formal process of resolving differences with legislation in the Senate.
"Our members do not want to just punt and do a two-month, short-term fix where we have to come back and do this again," House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told reporters at the Capitol.
House Republicans prefer legislation to extend the expiring tax cut by a whole year, and produced legislation to that effect. But Democrats in the Senate rejected that proposal because of some of the cuts used to offset the cost of the bill, which also includes an extension of unemployment insurance.
The House had been expected to vote early Tuesday morning after the preliminary vote was delayed. That plan was nixed, apparently with some political optics in mind.
"We also said we didn't like the idea of doing things in the dead of the night," House GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy (CA) said.
If the House does manage to follow through on its promise to reject the Senate-passed bill, that move would do little to ostensibly advance any final agreement on payroll taxes. Democrats spent most of Monday explaining that they would not consider any yearlong extension until the House had passed the stopgap tax cut.
"I will not re-open negotiations until the House follows through and passes this agreement that was negotiated by Republican leaders, and supported by 90 percent of the Senate," Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said this afternoon in a statement.
They were joined by a small group of Senate Republicans who publicly urged their House counterparts to approve the two-month extension. The tax cut is set to expire on Dec. 31, meaning payroll taxes would go up on Jan. 1 barring some sort of deal.
Boehner downplayed any notion of discord among Republicans, refusing to say whether Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) had erred in expecting the House to pass the agreement McConnell had reached with Reid.
"The Senate did their job. They produced a bill," Boehner said. "And the House disagrees with it."
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The President is starting to tick me off. He has no guts!!!! He is allowing a bunch of millionaires to protect a bunch of millionaires, while the MIDDLE CLASS is dying. Every person who works for a living, needs health care, can't afford to put gas in the family car or even go to a movie has got to vote the Republicans out.
Obama is the architect of the destruction of the middle class. Everything he has done is the opposite of that which is needed to create jobs. He wants us all dependent on big brother. More dependents, more control, more power. Maybe he can move the White House to Marthas Vineyard where he can be closer to his billionaire friends.
Sounds like you have intimate knowledge of what it's like to be dependent on big brother Blamo. Can't say I'm surprised.
Eric Cantor (R-VA) said that the House Rules Committee, which sets the parameters for votes in the House............
SETS THE PARAMETERS?? Why not vote on extending the original bill instead of adding a bunch of BS to cloud the original issue. Until there is some kind of law that only ONE issue can be in a bill we will continue to have 1200 page bills with unrelated issues included such as the Keystone XL Pipeline!!!
Congress should work through christmas. That's the least that they can do since they are going to ask seniors & the poor to lose $1,000 per month while the upper 1% continue to save 50% on their income taxes. And the only jobs they created were in china where roi is 10%.
You are delusional! The "seniors & the poor" will not be hurt as much as others. The seniors pay no SS tax (therefore their taxes wouldn't go up) and the poor save only 2%!! I'm not sure what numbers you use to get "the upper 1% continue to save 50% on their income taxes"! You continue to spew forth what some lefty has told you without checking the facts (very likely the reason, among others, why you are not in the top 1%)!!
They got concessions from Democrats to consider pipeline and as I predicted as soon as the yes was said the Republicans went back on their word... Give it the 2 months let the people have their holiday and you spend the time making up your minds so you do not have to repeat this again Congress..This Time Do It Right
does anyone hear the silence from the 1% millionaires and their outrage that the 99% are going to get a tax increase. heck no they don't care about us. they don't fight the wars they start and they don't pay taxes.
I could have sworn that that 1% guy, JFK, fought in WW2. And his family, along with all the other mega rich, pay over 50% of federal taxes. 1% of the people pay 50%, think about it. You don't know what you are talking about.
Blamo The top 1 % pays 38% of federal income taxes on 17+% of the total income. Wrong numbers but right idea! The # can be found on the IRS website. The latest # are for 2009. After 40 years I have made it into the top 1%. As I pay over 6 figures in income tax each year, I keep asking myself where these "tax breaks for the wealthy" are! Harley is the typical lefty who continues to repeat what he has been told rather than learn the facts (he couldn't handle the facts!).
The one percent are the ones that have a net worth of over one billion. The "middle class" are those making 50,000 to one million per year. The poor are those on welfare, food stamps and section 8. However, the government doesn't see it that way.
LOL Tes thinks he's the 1%. LMAO
Thank you republicans: the dems are no differentt then the north korenans and their communist ways of destroying the lives of human beings. The democrats in this country are liars, deceivers, and no good human beings. We need to change the ugly course of the obama husain middle east, arab, muslim, way of life. this vacation suck on the american people way of life man and wife wayford leader that it should make every american sick that this man deceived us all and the democrat party deceived us so, that we should puke thinking we could be so deceived as a people. The germans were deceived with Hitler and we are being deceived with this man in the dark house. I would be willing to speak and lead this country out of the darkness of a black man leading our country into the dark ages.
thank you for the history lesson mister 1 percenter
please send money
RB... I'm Independent and feel both parties are equally culpable for our problems.
However, you're a racist pathetic P.O.S.
It's not that I dislike the man, I dislike his continual lies and I like his ideas less, but you're way over the edge.
I am unemployed, 60 years old. My personal situation does not alter the truth, however.
richard blanch--your ignorance, stupidity and prejudice are clearly showing. Guess you just can't help being an idiot.
richard,
you post makes absolutely no sense. But I guess you have a right to free speech, so knock yourself out.
richard is in such a tissy he can't form a coherent sentence. Then again, he probably never forms coherent sentences.
Where are the jobs? One place they aren't: TSA is helping kill the tourist industry.
"Our research shows that reducing hassle without compromising security will encourage more Americans to fly — as many as two to three additional trips a year — leading to an additional $85 billion in spending that would support 900,000 American jobs," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.
But DC will fund TSA to the tune of nearly $8B and take food out of the mouths of unemployed Americans Jan 1. Outstanding.
A bunch of rich old men (getting richer as we speak) who don't give a crap about american's, at one point in american history they would have been hung for treason. And today we call them "leaders" , i say go back to the old days.
I LOVE listening to you Sheepeople following the lead of the White House in blaming any one but himself. Was it not our fearful leader who did not wish to "kick the can down the road" just to have to come right back to argue again and again during previous debates? Or was this just political hyperbole that fit the moment? No, it's the obstructionist DEMOCRATS in the Senate under the whining Harry Reid that are holding things up. And the President has not the cajones to stand up to his own party. He would rather make other sheepeople believe the half truths and out right lies that come from his teleprompter as Gospel.
The inexperience is showing on our great orator. He isn't fit to run a lemonade stand on a hot day in the Sahara much less be President. WAKE UP AMERICA, or there won't be an America anymore.
Bob,,,, Didn't you once used to think Obama was a Muslim born in Kenya?
my my my my my
he who attacks another thought believes he is intelligent.
thank you mister one percenter for your insight.
please create a job rather than texting
You just took lines from a dozen past news articles and put them into one paragraph?????? Have you no mind of your own?
We agree with you, America does need to wake up before it too late, lets hope and yes pray that the Republican Party wins the Presidency, because if Obama does America will be totally destroyed.
GOP Stand Strong
Jim - No, I never thought Obama was born in Kenya, but I bet you believed Bush bailed on his Guard duty and 9-11 was a set-up job.
Harley - It is the "1%" who do create the jobs. While I am not a member, I would be proud to be. And those who rely on unintelligent ramblings of unruly mobs to get the "talking points" to attack others are far from intelligent themselves.
Michael - The words used in my post, except those of Obama in quotes, were mine and mine alone. I do not stand behind the Messiah, drooling and chanting his name, in order to repeat his "thoughts" as people at his Political Rallies do, as do the Left-wingnut drones in the Senate and House. I know it's hard for some like you to formulate a single thought with out being told what to think by the Lame Stream Media, but that's the way adults do it.
stclaire - Thank you and hope to see you at the polls in Nov 12. For the rest of you, see you at the polls in Nov 13.
Call Boehner's office and jack him up. Tell him to get off his butt. Call your representative and tell him/her to vote for the bill.
no they are fighting to include more crap that attacks the middle class and poor as well as more goodies for the rich and powerful....same as it ever was, same as it ever was.....this kind of republican stuff kept the democrats in power in congress for 40 years...from 1940 to 1980....could happen again when this group of ayn randian twits finishes up their act.
GOP stand strong.
lamo! good one, stclaire!
now stop, my stomach hurts from laughing so hard.
Following Cantor is going to ruin Boehner. He has to know this. Does he not want a job anymore?
The Senate writes a bill for a two month extension. The House takes an extra day to vote on it and the House punted? Who's the left wing moron that writes this $hit? The punt was from Harry Reid and the gang in the Senate and the Country knows it. These babbling bull$hit stories we get from MSNBC are more pathetic every day.
The Senate writes bills that will pass, the House writes bills that don't.
Ron Stop listening to that drug addict Rushbo. His mind is gone.
Then why even bother coming to this site anymore? You clearly hate it.
Or are you of the type that isn't happy unless you are not happy?
Rational people stop doing things they don't like.
its time to demand that Congress vote on only one item at a time. NO attachments. Attachments are used to obfuscate and stagnate. One item, one vote, up or down.
James, that would be too logical. Plus it would end the bribes... my bad.. I mean pork.. sorry.. ear mark.. they're not supposed to do that either.. so hell, it would end all the bribes of voters with our tax dollars.
There I said it!!
One word for Eric Cantor, Evil! Anyone who has one ounce of political savvy knows Eric's sole purpose in congress is to provide for the 1% or translated, his mission is to provide 300,000 earners (that represents the 1%) with tax breaks, and that is not the corporation profits he claims would create jobs, what he fails to mention is, that's their take home pay he wants to protect. This is while 299,000,000 Americans suffer economic ruin.
If greed is evil (money misappropriated) then I rest my case, Cantor is EVIL.
And Mr. Cantor personally told you this?
Doesn't have to, stclaire--his actions say it.
The Republicans have to stand up against Obama, Obama has done enough damage to our country, I can not even imagine what our great country will be like if Obama were to re-elected, I cringe at the thought.
GOP stand strong, and maybe we can vote Obama out of office FAST & FURIOUSLY.
Yes please shoot yourself in the foot to show the president who's boss. His job is to sign bills that congress passes so don't pass anything and blame the president??????
Yup. Lets go back to starting useless wars in order to pay back Halliburton for the 25 million they gave to Cheney on his way to the White House. Tens of thousands of our best and brightest killed and maimed fighting a war that made Iran the top military power in the Middle East and now Iraq will be their ally. 2.5 Million people added to unemployed in the last 3 months of Bush/Cheney. Over one million in the last month alone.
If you really want a nightmare imagine where we would be if we had to deal with 4 more years of Bush/Cheney. Now thats a nightmare.
st claire
when did you start paying attention to the economy? when did the economy bottom out, after Obama was elected? If you say yes, your politcally void of any facts or reason. Foreclosures started in mass at least three years before Bush left office, outsourcing took 33,000,000 jobs out of country during the same administration...should i go on.
It's amusing to see all the same old mindless nitwits here clamoring for Boner to "stand up to Obama". They haven't the slightest clue that this is not Boner taking on Obama, it's Boner taking on Mitch McConnell and the senate republicans. Should pose entertaining to watch them eat each other alive. stclaire won't know what hit him/her. As usual he/she will be standing around wondering what happened. As usual, a daylate and a dollar short. lol
If the House did not want a 2 month extension, why did they not communicate with their GOP senators
before this. This is just game playing from the party of NO!
The GOP is like little children saying no to each other. One says no, the other says no, one says no, the other says no, not knowing what they other is talking about.
Luis... maybe you missed this in the article
Why don't all of us writing comments here get a ADHD drug fund started for House Speaker John Boehner and Congress so they can control themselves when they are at least in front of the press?
Obama has been talking about this for 3+ months and 90% of Senate Republicans support it.
Now the House GOP/TEA/Dumb FUX NEWS party won't pass it???
The more they scream it's the Dems and Obama's fault the more we know it's the dumb FUX fault...
The TP crew still listen to that washed up drug addict, the great Rushbo. His drug addled mind is more attune to where he can buy drugs than anything else. Notice that only dittiheads get through to his show. His handlers wont allow people through with opposing views because the great Rushbo is not too sharp anymore if he ever was.
Just what is it the Dems want? They want 2 months instead of a full year of cuts. That does seem difficult to argue, but the Dembots are trying. LOL
GRINSPOON: You apparently suffer from selective memory sydrome.
Your party did not want to extend the payroll tax cut at all until they were shamed into it. Now they are concerned that it's not continued long enough???
So, why aren't you grabbing it with both hands? What is it you want?
You really want 2 months of cuts instead of 1 year? Go ahead and sell that one.
If it were a 2 day, 2 month or 2 year tax cut for the rich the TP would be all over it. But alas, it is for the middle class and they dont need it.
Furthermore grinspoon, both sides negotiated this plan. Boner can't sell it, so he walks AGAIN; and tries to blame Dems.
Unfortunately, if boner remains head dick, we'll probably see five more years of this going on. He can't group his team together. Too many splinter groupsin the Party of NOooo now, working against him.
The tax cut in both House and Senate version are the same - for everyone.
And both sides in the Senate negotiated the Senate plan - In case you have forgotten, we have two independent bodies, the People's House and the elite Senate. They often disagree. LOL
Is there ANY reason the Dems don't want the Rep plan which extends the tax holiday 10 months longer?
What is it?
Ya know, I think this whole thing is really odd for the repubs'. First they all said 'NO we dont want the extension'. And conserv's on this site said 'NOOOO we can't pay for it', and '$20 a week wont do anything to help'. Then their leaders switched and negotiated the extension for 2 months with the Dems. And so now, all the conserv's on here are saying 'Why not for a full year?'
You guys are so fricken funny, in a bad way! lmao Just PICK a position, already!
Truth is, we need to leave behind this two party ineffective system and create a people vote, for real. The current President always reaps what the President before him/her did.
Therefore there is a lag of 4 to 8 years for the progress to show. Who gets the credit and who gets the shame. There is enough to go around. But they need to stop their bi-paritsan postering and get on with it NOW! I for one am SOOOOOOOO tired of it. And any more of it will cause more of us to join the protestors who have had enough of this SH**T!
If it was to extend the last tax cuts for the rich? I've been around, still waiting for the trickle down theory to work. Remember the 'Hollywood' person? Reagan was a POS!
The new code word for trickle down is tinkle on.
The house republicans went on vacation. The republican house is at war with the senate republicans. The president should go on vacation. They don't need him holding their hands. He can veto from Hawaii.
TRANSLATION: The teabaggers are getting opposition from some sane Republicans and don't yet have the votes to block the bill.
Dems really want 2 months instead of a full year? Why?????
Ever played with a five year old wanting a yes answer. You say no, he says yes..no, yes, no, yes, yes, no he says. You say, "Okay, no." The kid scratches his head. Seems like that's Reid on this one. LOL