E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSThe U.S. House of Representatives, followed by the U.S. Senate, today passed legislation extending the payroll tax cut for the remainder of the year as well as unemployment insurance.
The House's vote was 293-132, with 147 Democrats and 146 Republicans voting in favor, and with 91 Republicans and 41 Democrats voting against.
Afterward, the Senate passed the legislation by a 60-36 vote, with 14 GOP senators voting for the measure and six Democrats voting against it.
The legislation now goes to President Obama's desk, and he is expected to sign it into law.
What does the bill do?
Payroll Taxes:
- extends the 2% cut on the payroll tax, down from 6.2% to the 4.2% rate through the end of 2012
- the extension of the payroll tax cut will NOT be paid for, adding $100 billion to the deficit.
Unemployment Insurance:
- allows for as much as 99 weeks of unemployment insurance through May, depending on the state. After that, there are 73 weeks of unemployment benefits for states with highest unemployment levels, and 63 weeks of unemployment benefits in most states (versus 93 weeks in most states today).
-- the extension of unemployment insurance will be paid for with a mixture of auctioning off mobile spectrum, as well as a provision that would require NEW federal workers to pay more into their pension plans.
Medicare "Doc Fix":
- the "doc fix" is extended through the end of 2012, preventing a 27.4% cut in payments to doctors serving Medicare beneficiaries.|
- the extension of the Medicare "doc fix" will be paid for with adjustments to the federal health-care law.
Leave a Comment:
What? A bill passed? Did they sneak in a new post office name with this piece of legislation? Now, where are the jobs promised by the GOP/TP?
This is the last piece of important legislation that will
pass before the lame duck session in November/December.
In women's uterus's... silly! ;o)
Dennis,
How are you doing? Good I hope. I agree with you that nothing of importance will pass until next year.
Off topic, I believe the Obama Administration threw the contraceptive thing out there to take the topics they don't want to discuss right now like unemployment, jobs, national debt, budget, and other more important things. They knew this would be blown way out of perspective, which it was by both the left and right. However, since it is such a divisive issue maybe he should have held it back until Jun or Jul, since it didn't take effect until Aug 2013 anyway. IMO it was nothing but a political ploy. Your ideas if you care to respond. Hope you have a good week end.
See you even have Fiesty and Americans First still harping on something that doesn't even effect them.
WOW......this is good news for the nation. Only if these guys can carry out their jobs in this manner with on drama. Wishful thinking?
Dennis - remember these guys are up for re-election, too. The impression I've got is the party and its elected leaders have lost their interest in fighting, both because of the Christmas debacle over this issue and because of how an improved economy (at least at the moment) seems to have tilted the odds fairly significantly back toward the president's re-election.
It had to be tough, arguing as a Republican for a tax cut needing a corresponding spending cut. They are the guys who more typically say tax cuts pay for themselves with increased revenue from economic stimulus. I think being on the side of the argument they were, and seeing everyone turn against them over the holidays had a traumatic effect.
All they are playing for now - at least in my opinion of the moment :) - is survival, unless the economy turns south again. Then they would come out of defense mode and go back on the attack.
Feisty - you seem obsessed with uteruses... or is it uteri?
Great! Thank Heavens for all of us and our economy, the payroll tax cut & unemployment benefits have been extended. Also docs who provide Medicare will not now lose 27% of their pay.
FR: "the extension of the payroll tax cut will NOT be paid for, adding $100 billion to the deficit."
It is a shocking truth: GOP continue to vote that Tax Cuts don't need to be paid for, but Spending does.
Not me!
It's the fat old white men that can't seem to keep their noses out of a women's 'business'...
I should add this. If I'm right about the GOP playing defense now because of the economy, that improved economic situation is tenuous at best. Greece will likely default before the election. No one is sure how bad that will be, what derivatives roll through which banks back to us, etc. And we are probably going to see an attack on Iran and some disruption to oil flow before the election, too. Foreclosures are rearing their ugly heads again. There's a lot of achilles heels' with this economic picture.
Fat, old white men...? So if they weren't fat, old and white, their noses would be welcome around that area?
Fat, old white men...?
Is she talking about Congressman Issa and his muscular panel? I think VA governor should be included in this description.
OMG I hope he thinks about about this, asks for amendments and doesn't just sign it. That would be so Grover Norquist.
Wonderful news from our leaders in Washington. They really are making the tough choices.
Those damn Democrats in the Senate. F...ing obstructionists!
Hi Sarge,
Everything is goo with me and I hope you are doing well also.
You might be correct and if so then it was a very clever move by his advisors. However I believe he made an error with his initial release thinking it would not become such a big deal given the 18 month window toresolve differences and the turn in events was just luck.
Yeah... you know... the poster boys for today's GNOP! ;o)
I love putting my nose, among other body parts in women's business.
How does the govt provide jobs again?
Yeah... you know... the poster boys for today's GNOP! ;o)
Yeah... I know... the
pervertsboys for today's GNOP! ;o)I love putting my nose, among other body parts in women's business.
_________________________________
One whiff of the Nasty Redhead's 'business' would cure you of that desire.
Now we know what you spend your social security check on, that you use medicare to cure those STDs, and use those food stamps to buy the poor hooker pepto-bismol to keep the nausea at bay.
By my last count, Drs, for the most part fall above the $250K per year income level, which makes them one of the evil 1% who don't pay their fair share of taxes, however, the liberals on this thread are all excited that these same said Drs will not see their pay cut by 27%.......This seems to fly in the face of all the rhetoric out there to do away with the wealthy and give it away to the poor.
Beware the whale in NJ... he's liable to kill an intimate partner.
Sue: I think it's an oversimplification to say that anyone wants to do away with the wealthy or give all their money to the poor. What's being sought is balance, so that those who have acquired their wealth through the work of those around them contribute their fair share to those same people's latter years (since pensions are a thing of the past, but golden parachutes are not), and to pay their fair share for the maintenance of the societal benefits (roads, bridges, communications, armed forces, protective services) from which they derive a lop-sided benefit.
Those who have their wealth from inheritance without effort, or from currently under-taxed means, should also be expected to contribute back to their society for the support of shared services.
This does not mean that anyone should be deprived of income earned fairly, through this now-closed situation or otherwise. And besides, they'll also be taxed based upon this higher income level, I would expect.
Republicans seem to have plenty of time to pass laws on the state controlling women's bodies, but apparently no time to think about improving our economy with jobs.
And which law would that be? Oh, and how exactly does the government create jobs? Heck the payroll taxcut doesn't help business at all, it just give you and me a couple of extra dollars. Sounds more like a Payroll Taxcut Stimulus Bill.
Money placed in consumers' hands gets spent on goods and services, leading to increased demand. When that demand increases sufficiently, businesses add employees to meet the increased demand. Pretty straight-forward.
Come on now Viktor, you know guys like JFK can't make that simple connection between purchases and manufacturing. You know, the old supply and demand thing.
And really JFK, a state making a LAW that said you must try (yes, that is what it says) to get a woman to look at an ultrta-sound is O.K with you? Whats next I wonder?
Oh, so what your saying is the money will be spent at places like Walmart and Bestbuy, etc. So basically the money goes towards big business...thought you 99% didn't like big business? Oh and Kingofmyhill, how exactly is making a woman look at an ultrasound controlling someone's body?
JFK: Show me where I've claimed to be a 99%-er, or that sharing *some* common beliefs requires sharing of *all*? "Come, let's be individuals together....?"
No law has been passed about the control of women's bodies. Our President revealed the notion of making everyone getting their birth control/abortions for free (covered by insurance regardless of whose insurance) First of all, nothing, absolutely nothing, in this world is for free!!! We are all going to wind up paying for it one way or another, and being coerced as to whether we elect to particpate or not ourselves.
JFK, I didn't say it was controlling a woman's body. I just asked if you were o.k. with it.
JFK, the Virginia law states that a transvaginal ultrasound examination must be performed before any abortion.
As an Sonographer, let me state a few things wrong with this.
1) The Sonographer can not in their scope of practice regulated through the ARDMS perform this test without the woman's explicit (and in most hospitals written) consent.
2) Trans(Endo)Vaginal Ultrasounds are NOT the diagnostic recommended study on a greater than 13 week pregnancy. A Transabdominal Ultrasound is.
3) This is an invasive procedure wherein the sonographer inserts and manipulates a long thin probe 3-5 inches into the vaginal canal. While the percentage chance is low, as in any procedure where you insert a probe into a canal or cavity, there is a risk of infection. I think you will find that not only is a woman's right to privacy violated by this law, but it also is against current medical practice to force a woman to have a procedure that she is mentally competent to give consent for, against her will.
4) Who exactly pays for this ultrasound? Transvaginal Ultrasounds, with color to detect blood flow within the cord and doppler to detect fetal heart rate (thats the Republican 'Money shot' to shame women to keep the baby) can run upwards of 1,000 dollars. Is the insurance company going to be liable for that? Are the woman's insurance rates going to go up? Is it going to be free?
5) So basically, I can't force a faceless religious institution to allow their employees to have access through their insurance companies for contraception and women's health services, but the government can force a woman to go through a potentially uncomfortable medical procedure against her wishes just to have access to another medical procedure that is legal within the united states?
As for me, I am for women having free contraception. Because its their body, their choice and I like having sex with women and not having to worry about getting them pregnant everytime.
Carefull viktor, FR liberals say that trickle down economics doesn't work.
It is a shocking truth: GOP continue to vote that Tax Cuts don't need to be paid for, but Spending does.
This explains Bush thinking when he signed 01 & 03 tax cuts into law. Sincerely, Bush might have taught he was coloring.
It is a shocking truth: GOP continue to vote that Tax Cuts don't need to be paid for, but Spending does
Except, of course, for spending that they decide is best kept "off the books" like the costs of the Afghan and Iraq wars. Someone else can take care of that, once the new guy takes office....
Just in -
Federal authorities have arrested a man on his way to the U.S. Capitol for what he intended as a suicide mission,
The man, in his 30s and of Moroccan descent, was nabbed following a lengthy investigation by the FBI, initiated after he expressed interest in conducting an attack. It’s unclear how the FBI learned of his aspirations.
The man thought undercover FBI agents assisting him in his plot were associates of Al Qaeda.
The bill passed because the Teapublicans knew they'll be loosing their a$$e$ come election time. Now they'll move onto more important issues like mandating the types of sexual positions a Christian women must use.
it's already on the books in SC
Brian- Now they'll move onto more important issues like mandating the types of sexual positions a Christian women must use.
Congressman Issa is already leading the course.
Do not mess with american women. You will be SORRY!
Another win for President Obama! The Tea-bagger/Republicans should have given up their salary to pay for tax cut since they will be on vacation for the rest of the year!! They have not offered one single jobs bill since they took office!
Question - Has the House of Representatives worked a full month this year?
I think that the truly amazing thing that happened is the House passed a bill that Sen Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) did not table.
Never underestimate the vacuousness of clueless libs.
They actually think think the Presidential election is over....'course, if you listen to MSNBC as your sole news source, you think it is aways peaches and cream for the progressives...
Gotta love their overconfidence. They were doing a 'victory dance' around this time in 2010, convincing themselves how wonderful they were and how the voters were turned off by the 'extremist" GOP ...
Just prior to the 2010 midterm GOP landslide.
Hi boobie...
Were you finally shamed into changing your avatar, or were you "going to do it anyway"...
Oh, and who's Bob McDonnell?
This is good news. Had the economy been better and they passed something like this I would think it foolish but, while things are improving, the economy is still slow and so it is necessary to extend the unemployment and to keep the payroll tax low. The latter should encourage businesses to hire. Stocks are up and things are looking good but people still need a leg up.
The Republican/TPers and no DINOs know that elections are coming up. If they didn't vote for this they will realize that elections have consequences and their defeat is eminent shoud they run for reelection. If they aren't running again than maybe they feel they can screw people and get away with it anyway. The good part is that enough of them decided the wise thing to do was to vote for it.
I agree. Never mess with a woman! I have been kicked, smacked, whipped with a tree branch, (weeping willow) a slotted spoon, wooden spoon, belt, bare hand, cast iron skillet. Some of that from my Mother, most from wife, and girlfriends. So, you Greedy old Pricks, (i think that is what Fiesty called them?) better watch out! I should concider myself abused by women. Do I? Not at all! Whatever dumbazz thing i might have said, or done, I deserved all of it! Am i bitter? No! I absolutely adore women! Women should not be triffled with. Love them, respect them. And you had better let them decide how best to take care of themselves. You are so welcome Ladies!!!!