B**W
发帖数: 2273 | 1 Washington (CNN) -- House Speaker John Boehner said Sunday that he opposed
the Senate plan to extend the payroll tax cut for two months, while a top
economic adviser to President Barack Obama said chances were small that the
House would reject the proposal.
Boehner, R-Ohio, told the NBC program "Meet the Press" that Congress should
continue negotiations to come up with a compromise by the end of the year
that would extend the lower payroll tax rate for a full year, as sought by
Obama.
"It's pretty clear and I and our members oppose the Senate bill," Boehner
said, adding that a two-month extension was "just kicking the can down the
road."
The Senate plan passed Saturday was a fallback position after Democrats and
Republicans were unable to reach a comprehensive agreement to extend the
cuts and unemployment benefits for a full year.
Gene Sperling, the director of the White House's National Economic Council
and Obama's assistant on economic policy, told CNN's "State of the Union"
that the Senate's strong bipartisan support in the 89-10 vote for its two-
month plan made House rejection unlikely.
"What was significant about the vote yesterday (is) it had 89 votes -- the
compromise to extend the payroll tax cut, unemployment for 60 days into next
year had 90% support," Sperling told CNN Political Correspondent Joe Johns.
"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."
At the same time, Sperling assessed the chances for the issue to get
resolved without further political drama in Congress before the end of the
year as "very small."
In the end, the possibility remained that a deal to extend the payroll tax
cut for a full year could happen by January 1, when the current rate is set
to go up.
"This is Washington, D.C. -- you don't categorically rule out anything,"
Sperling said.
The measure is the latest in a series of last-ditch temporary fixes,
postponing another legislative showdown between lawmakers until February,
when the bill's provisions would expire under the Senate plan.
However, it requires approval by the House, and Boehner's comments
reinforced initial rejection of the plan by House Republicans, especially
conservatives who don't like the payroll tax extension in any form. The
House will take up the measure Monday.
Boehner apparently 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. Boehner was not
asked about the caucus meeting in the NBC interview.
Obama and Democratic leaders have called for final approval of the Senate
plan to decide the issue for now and set up further talks to reach a longer-
term resolution after Congress returns from its holiday recess in January.
On Saturday, Obama told reporters that he was pleased with the Senate's vote
, but added that extending the cuts and assistance through next year should
be considered just a "formality."
To do otherwise, he said, would be "inexcusable."
Failure to pass the payroll tax measure -- a major part of Obama's job-
creation plan -- would have cost working Americans an average of $1,000 in
higher taxes next year.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said Friday that his party
supported the proposed two-month deal because "that was the best we could
get."
The $33 billion deal, should it pass the House, also avoids cutting federal
funds to physicians who accept Medicare and speeds up a decision over an oil
pipeline, giving the White House 60 days to make a call on the
controversial Keystone XL project.
According to a GOP source, Boehner described the Senate vote as "a good deal
" and "a victory" in a conference call with Republican Congress members on
Saturday. Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole and North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones also
expressed support, the source said.
However, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, disagreed, saying he
thought the package should be extended for a full year.
"The rank-and-file members are extremely opposed to it," said the GOP source
, adding that most members are concerned with the two-month extension, its
effect on the middle class, and the political benefit the White House could
gain in the national dialogue over taxes.
A House GOP aide said Boehner outlined next steps regarding the payroll tax
measure during the conference call.
"The speaker described three possible options -- accept the Senate bill, go
to conference, or amend the Senate bill and send it back," the aide said.
The pipeline, thought to be a necessary part of coaxing Republican support
for the payroll tax break, is something Obama rejected when the idea first
emerged of linking it to the payroll tax issue.
When asked about the president's support of the bill despite the pipeline
provision, a senior administration official said Friday that Obama's top
priority was making sure taxes don't go up in the new year.
The Obama administration has delayed a final decision on the project after
complaints by environmentalists and Nebraska officials that the pipeline
route could threaten that state's Sandhills region and vital Ogallala
aquifer.
Alternate routes are being considered, and Nebraska officials as well as the
pipeline company, TransCanada, acknowledge that the process of approving a
final route will last into the second half of 2012.
The State Department has warned that a shortened deadline would leave
insufficient time to assess the route alteration on a project that would
transport oil from Canada's tar sands in northern Alberta to refineries on
the Gulf Coast of Texas.
Obama made no mention of the proposed pipeline during Saturday's press
conference. But in a briefing with reporters held after Obama's remarks,
senior administration officials called the vote a win for working people and
insisted the administration had given no ground on the pipeline issue.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said he had no idea why
the pipeline is considered controversial.
"The labor unions like it. Many Democrats want it," he added. "It
strengthens our national security by decreasing the amount of oil we get
from unfriendly countries. And it wouldn't cost the taxpayers a dime."
Republicans, who traditionally back the oil industry, have accused the White
House of delaying the issue until after Obama's re-election bid. Labor
unions that typically support Democrats back the pipeline project, while
environmentalists who are also allied with the political left oppose it.
House Republicans pushed through their own version of a payroll tax measure
this week that also included the pipeline provision. However, it lacked
Senate support and never came up for a vote.
Saturday's Senate bill is expected to 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 loaned, Senate
aides estimated.
CNN's Rebecca Stewart, Athena Jones, Deirdre Walsh, Ted Barrett, Kate
Bolduan and Erin Burnett contributed to this report. | l**w
发帖数: 865 | 2 Because DEM opposes pay roll tax cut, according to some IDs' view from this
board? | l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 3 The payroll tax cuts approved by each chamber include several other year-end
items.
Both sides want to extend a program that provides for longer unemployment
benefits while the economy remains weak. Republicans, however, favor
eventually reducing the maximum benefits for workers to 59 weeks from 99
weeks.
Both sides also agree that a Medicare payment formula must be adjusted so
doctors don't see a drop in payments next year.
The Keystone pipeline has been among the most contentious issues in the
debate. Republicans, who say the project would create thousands of jobs,
want to direct the State Department to approve it, with Mr. Obama only able
to kill the deal if he determines the pipeline is not in the national
interest.
Mr. Obama had delayed a decision on Keystone until after the 2012 national
election. The administration has all but said it can't approve the pipeline
in the limited time allowed by the Republicans, suggesting that enactment of
the GOP measure could doom the project. | l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 4 Obama had delayed a decision on Keystone until after the 2012 national
election.
================
What a damn loser! | l**w
发帖数: 865 | 5 提醒一下。
发信人: yourtt (rainmaker), 信区: USANews
标 题: Re: yourtt has been selected the dumbest id on usanews
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Thu Dec 15 14:30:06 2011, 美东)
thank you for summarize it up.
These are all facts.
on the opposite, you libtards believe warren buffett can not pay more tax
because gop does not let him.
lol...
【在 l**w 的大作中提到】
: Because DEM opposes pay roll tax cut, according to some IDs' view from this
: board?
| y****t
发帖数: 10233 | 6 you tell me what's wrong with it?
【在 l**w 的大作中提到】
: 提醒一下。
: 发信人: yourtt (rainmaker), 信区: USANews
: 标 题: Re: yourtt has been selected the dumbest id on usanews
: 发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Thu Dec 15 14:30:06 2011, 美东)
: thank you for summarize it up.
: These are all facts.
: on the opposite, you libtards believe warren buffett can not pay more tax
: because gop does not let him.
: lol...
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