Payroll Tax Cut News, Payroll Tax Cut Pictures
Watch President Obama’s statement on the passage of a payroll tax here:
Speaker Of The House John Boehner completely caved in to President Obama and the Democrats on Thursday evening, agreeing to vote in favor of a two-month extension to payroll tax cuts passed in the Senate.
Boehner had previously been forced to deal with an internal revolt of “tea party” Republican congressmen who balked at the middle-class focused legislation. Boehner reneged on an agreement to pass whatever had been negotiated between both parties in the Senate.
What ensued was near-absurdist Washington theater, with the Speaker and his top lieutenant Rep. Eric Cantor (VA) forced to publicly beg President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to return to Washington and ignore a bill the Senate had already passed. Obama and the Democrats stood their ground, pushing the burden of tax increases on the Republicans.
Boehner also felt criticism from Senate Republicans, including Sen. Scott Brown (MA) and Sen. John McCain (AZ) who urged Boehner to get his tea party caucus in line.
After days of silence, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) effectively told Boehner to take the deal that had been passed in the Senate, forcing a capitulation to the position of President Obama and the Democrats.
As a result, 160 million Americans will get a tax cut despite the efforts of the tea party movement.
Speaker of the House John Boehner appears to need remedial lessons in leadership.
Time and time again, Speaker Boehner has induced whiplash as the tea party element has pulled him in one direction or the other.
When negotiating on the debt ceiling, Boehner walked out on negotiations with President Obama and congressional Democrats when the tea party stamped their feet.
When it was clear that he had promised Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell votes if the Senate could agree on a payroll tax cut extension, Boehner reneged when the tea party yanked his leash.
Boehner’s cave-in to the tea party could lead to a tax increase for middle class Americans and even more damaging to the wider economy.
When the House of Representatives convened after the 2010 election, they did not elect him Speaker of just House Republicans, but Speaker of the entire House, third in line to the presidency.
It’s time for Speaker Boehner to lead, to stand up to the extremists in his party and do the work of the American people.
NATIONAL CONFIDENTIAL EDITORIAL BOARD
Speaker John Bohener had a press conference today surrounded by fellow House members in which he asked President Obama to “help out.” Boehner requested that Obama compel the Senate to return to Washington in the wake of Republicans rejecting a Senate deal to extend a payroll tax cut.
Boehner had previously agreed to a deal negotiated between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, but reneged when Tea Party members rejected the deal.
President Obama, in a surprise appearance at the daily presidential briefing, blasted House Republicans for opposing a two-month extension of payroll tax cuts. Responding to Republican rhetoric that the standoff is a “poker game,” Obama said, “this is not a game.”
The President urged the House to “do the right thing” and follow in the footsteps of the Senate by passing the bill on a bipartisan basis. Obama stressed the urgency of the tax cuts, asking the to “put politics aside” and to “come together on something we agree on.”
Republicans voted in the House to reject a middle class tax cut that passed by an overwhelming margin in the Senate.
Senator Scott Brown is blasting House Republicans for scuttling the middle class tax cut that passed in the Senate. Brown, facing a strong challenge from Democrat Elizabeth Warren, issued a press release blasting House Republicans for their “plan to scuttle the deal to help middle-class families.” Brown described the move from Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor as “irresponsible and wrong.”
Brown, who was a champion of the Tea Party movement currently opposing a two month extension of tax cuts, also described his fellow Republicans as “playing politics” rather than “find[ing] solutions.”
Elizabeth Warren, the target of a major attack campaign from Republican boss Karl Rove fueled by Wall Street money, recently moved ahead of Brown in polling.
House Republicans have rejected a measure to cut taxes for the middle class that passed overwhelmingly in the Senate. The measure, which passed 89-10 in the Senate, would have extended a payroll tax cut for middle class earners for two months.
Speaker John Boehner, who previously agreed to the Senate measure, faced a revolt from the Tea Party members of the House, who are opposed to the bipartisan legislation.
Speaker John Boehner is again facing a major leadership test, dealing with a tea party revolt over the Senate deal to extend a payroll tax cut. Boehner had previously given an indication that if Senate Republicans could reach a deal with Democrats on the extension, he would be able to shepherd the legislation through the Republican-led House.
The measure overwhelmingly passed in the Senate, 89-10. Boehner reportedly presented the legislation to his caucus on a conference call when a tea party-led push-back forced the Speaker to publicly flip flop on his earlier statements. Boehner now claims he opposed to the bill, even though he promised to support a deal brokered by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said the Senate is finished with its business for the year, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has indicated that Democrats are ready to pass the deal passed by the Senate. The only remaining roadblock to a tax increase is Speaker Boehner and his party.
Boehner must find a way to appease the tea party revolt within his ranks, or risk being blamed for a tax increase on the eve of a presidential election.
National Confidential is breaking news, as it happens. Click here to contact us.
© National Confidential 2012 | Contact Us
