(Image source: The New York Times)
BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN
Groundhog day in Washington.
As we reported and CBS notes - the Senate approved a payroll tax cut extension over the weekend --
“The ayes are 89, the nays are 10”
-- sparking cheers from supporters who say the move would provide a much-needed boost to the economy.
They were only able to extend it for two months -- but hey, small victories, right?
Except -- on Capitol Hill -- even small victories can become big fails. Here’s WZVN.
“Speaker John Boehner rejected a short-term bipartisan senate measure to extend a payroll tax break and unemployment insurance, setting the stage for a bitter year-end congressional battle and the possible loss of benefits for millions of Americans.”
And if it feels like you’ve already heard this story, you have. Gridlock is nothing new in Washington, but with the holidays just around the corner -- Congress is really cutting it down to the wire with one of President Obama’s legislative priorities.
House Republicans say two months doesn’t cut it -- and want the tax cut extended for a year. CNN’s Kate Balduan calls the ongoing battle “a staring contest.”
“Democrats saying that the House has two options here. One, pass the Senate compromise or the other, be responsible for many millions of Americans seeing a tax increase come January 1. … But one top Democrat tells me, and this is an interesting point, that nothing is stopping the two sides from negotiating this full deal that Speaker Boehner says he wants, but only if, and this is important from this perspective, only if the House will pass this two-month extension.”
But Democrats say House Speaker John Boehner had initially signed on to the deal that passed the Senate.
New York Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer took to MSNBC Monday morning with this:
“He is tying himself in a pretzel. … The middle class tax cut will lapse and he will be responsible. I don't think he wants that.”
The House is expected to vote sometime Monday night. But if it doesn’t take the Senate deal -- things get a little complicated, seeing as how the Senate has already headed home for the holidays. USA Today asks -- so does this mean we’re headed back to the drawing board?
“All of which means the payroll tax cut dispute could stretch past Christmas and into the new year -- when the 2011 cut expires, and Americans face a 2% hike on their payroll taxes.”
