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发帖数: 2273 | 1 Washington (CNN) -- House Republicans and Senate Democrats stepped up their
game of legislative chicken over the expiring payroll tax cut Monday, with
Democrats flatly rejecting House Speaker John Boehner's demand to ditch a
two-month extension in favor of an immediate one-year continuation.
"It's time to stop the nonsense," Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters on Capitol
Hill. "Americans are tired of Washington's short-term fixes and gimmicks."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, responded with a written
statement blasting Boehner for allegedly abandoning a bipartisan two-month
Senate compromise, which was forged when party leaders were unable to agree
on the terms of a one-year plan.
"I negotiated a compromise (with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-
Kentucky) at Speaker Boehner's request. I will not reopen negotiations until
the House follows through and passes this agreement that was negotiated by
Republican leaders and supported by 90 percent of the Senate," Reid said.
"This is a question of whether the House of Representatives will be able to
fulfill the basic legislative function of passing an overwhelmingly
bipartisan agreement, in order to protect the economic security of millions
of middle-class Americans," Reid added.
At stake is the looming expiration of a tax break that is worth roughly $1,
000 a year for an average family and affects roughly 160 million Americans.
Congress also needs to address expiring emergency federal unemployment
benefits and the renewal of the so-called "doc fix," a delay in significant
scheduled pay cuts to Medicare physicians.
All three measures are currently set to expire December 31.
Boehner said Monday morning he expects the GOP-controlled House to reject
the Senate's two-month extension by the end of the day, and instead pass a
resolution calling for a 12-month continuation. The House resolution also
will call for a one-year emergency unemployment benefit extension and a two-
year doc fix, according to GOP leadership aides.
The measure would renew the GOP's push for presidential action on the
proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, the
aides said.
In addition, the House is expected to pass a separate motion calling for the
entire issue to be taken up by a House-Senate conference committee; this
requires the Democratic-controlled Senate to return from its holiday break.
Democratic sources maintain they have no intention of buckling to the House
leadership's demands.
One moderate Republican -- Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown -- also voiced
disapproval with the House GOP, calling the plan to "scuttle" the Senate's
deal "irresponsible and wrong."
"During this time of divided government, both parties need to be reasonable
and come to the negotiating table in good faith," said Brown, who is facing
a stiff reelection challenge in heavily Democratic Massachusetts next year.
"We cannot allow rigid partisan ideology and unwillingness to compromise
stand in the way of working together for the good of the American people."
The $33 billion Senate bill -- which only covers the payroll tax cut,
unemployment benefits, and the doc fix through the end of February -- is
facing fierce resistance from House conservatives upset with both the
temporary nature of the bill and its impact on funding for Social Security.
An earlier House version of the measure -- which would have continued the
payroll tax cut for a year, among other things -- was never brought to a
vote in the Senate. Democrats and Republicans remain at sharp odds over how
to pay for a full 12-month extension.
Congressional Democratic leaders insist the Republican-led House will be
blamed for a year-end increase in working Americans' tax bills if it fails
to go along with the Senate. The White House chimed in Sunday, warning about
the looming expiration of the current rates.
"As the president said ... it is inexcusable to do anything less than extend
this tax cut for the entire year, and Congress must work on a one-year deal
," White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said in a written
statement.
Pfeiffer also pointed out that Boehner had called the two-month extension a
"good deal" on Saturday.
"It's time House Republicans stop playing politics and get the job done for
the American people," he said.
"This is a pass-the-popcorn moment for Democrats," one senior congressional
Democratic leadership aide told CNN. "Boehner has been hung out to dry by
his caucus, and we are not going to save him."
CNNMoney: What happens if payroll tax cut is not extended?
The Senate passed the two-month extension Saturday in an 89-10 vote. That
was a fallback position after Democrats and Republicans were unable to reach
a comprehensive agreement to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment
benefits for a full year.
Reid said in a statement Sunday that Boehner had earlier left it to Senate
leaders to come up with a deal and now was changing his tune after the
Senate easily adopted the two-month extension.
"Neither side got everything they wanted, but we forged a middle ground that
passed the Senate by an overwhelming bipartisan majority," Reid said. If
the Senate measure doesn't clear the House, "Republicans will be forcing a
thousand-dollar tax increase on middle class families on January 1st."
Does House want to move forward? Two senators debate that question
Gene Sperling, the director of the White House's National Economic Council
and Obama's assistant on economic policy, predicted on CNN's "State of the
Union" Sunday that the Senate's strong bipartisan support will ultimately
make House rejection unlikely.
"The only things that get 90% support in the United States Senate these days
are mom, apple pie, and chocolate ice cream, so I really think it is very
unlikely that the House would disrupt this compromise," Sperling said.
Under the current party breakdown in the House, at least 26 Republicans
would have to join a unanimous Democratic minority to pass the Senate
measure. Any slippage in Democratic support would require more Republican
backing.
Boehner appears to have reversed himself since a conference call with caucus
members Saturday, when he was the only House Republican leader to express
support for the Senate plan, according to a GOP source.
The source said Boehner described the Senate vote as "a good deal" and "a
victory" in the conference call. For his part, the speaker insisted Monday
that he raised concerns about the Senate plan "from the moment I heard of it
."
Boehner said he only praised a provision in the Senate bill requiring
presidential action on the Keystone pipeline.
"The rank-and-file members are extremely opposed" to the Senate plan, said
GOP source stressed, adding that most members were concerned with the
uncertainty caused by just a two-month extension, as well as the political
benefit the White House could gain in the national dialogue over taxes.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said in a statement Sunday
that conservative House Republicans are standing in the way of an agreement.
"By holding up this bipartisan compromise, tea party House Republicans are
walking away once again, showing their extremism and clearly demonstrating
that they never intended to give the middle class a tax cut," Pelosi said.
Reid said Friday that his party supported the proposed two-month deal
because "that was the best we could get."
The measure, which passed the Senate on Saturday, would reduce the deficit
by nearly $3 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Under the plan, its $33 billion in costs would be offset by an increase in
fees that new homeowners with federally backed mortgages will pay to Fannie
Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration. Those entities
would then turn that money over to the U.S. Treasury.
The bump amounts to about $15 per month for every $200,000 borrowed, Senate
aides estimated.
CNN's Athena Jones, Rebecca Stewart, Deirdre Walsh, Ted Barrett, Kate
Bolduan, Dana Bash, and Erin Burnett contributed to this report. |
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