As if we didn’t need further evidence that Congress is phoning it in these days … House Speaker Boehner (R-OH) backtracked Thursday afternoon and announced a “compromise” two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, two days after the House voted to reject it. Let me break this down for you. First, to the average taxpayer,…
For the second time in so many months (remember the debt ceiling deadline debacle?), Congress has thrown up its hands and walked away. After failing to reach a workable compromise on the payroll tax cut extension, members of the House left town for the holidays. The payroll tax cuts are set to expire before the…
I was hoping to report that the Senate had taken up the payroll tax cut extension issue today and tossed out the ridiculous plan hatched last week for a two month extension. But, no. Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has indicated that the Senate will not take up the matter until the House passes…
It’s not often that you’ll see me lauding House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) as the voice of reason but here it is: the man is one of just a handful in Congress making some sense with respect to these payroll tax cuts. Speaker Boehner is pushing for a full year extension on the cuts, saying:…
So months and months of debate on the payroll tax cut has resulted in this: a two month extension. No, you didn’t read that wrong. Two months. Democrats and Republicans in the Senate couldn’t figure out how to pay for the whole thing so they decided on a ridiculous fix. Two months. “But it’s paid…
The “naughty” list is getting longer… No, I’m not talking about Amy pinching her brother this morning while getting ready for school. I’m talking about those in Congress who are squabbling over the payroll tax cut extension all while the deadline for keeping the lights on in D.C. creeps closer. The Senate has yet to…
The House of Representatives has passed a version of a plan that would extend the payroll tax cuts enacted for 2011. The plan also includes the acceleration of approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The bill, H.R. 3630, was originally known as the Welfare Integrity and Data Improvement Act (yup, not a word about…
With the clock ticking away on the deadline for the one year payroll tax cut (this one, as it turns out, is a real deadline), Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are fighting to see who can outmaneuver each other. Both offered proposals to extend the cut today – and both proposals failed. The Democrats…
It is, in fact, true that the Republicans are moving ahead with plans to tack on the Keystone XL pipeline as part of a package to extend the payroll tax cuts for next year. It is equally true that President Obama is not happy about this turn of events and has threatened to block any…
Ooh, talk about efficiency. Here I was totally expecting the Senate to at least pretend to entertain extending the payroll tax cut until tomorrow. Instead, they rushed right into a “no” vote a day early. The charge was led by Senate Republicans despite statements by House Speaker (R-OH) in support of an extension. Boehner said…