Senate Dems Accuse House GOP of ‘Playing Games’ on Payroll Tax
EmailEven without seeing specific details of House Republicans’ payroll-tax plan released this morning, Senate Democrats today shot it down, claiming that Republicans are just playing “games” with the need to extend the tax cut before it expires Dec. 31.
“From what I’m told, it’s the holiday season and they’ve made this very serious proposal to help the middle class into a Christmas tree,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said today, “and a Christmas tree with special goodies for certain special interests.”
Those “special goodies” would mean the inclusion of the Keystone pipeline project that has drawn a presidential rejection, but not explicit veto threat, by President Obama if it is included in this bill.
Schumer suggested that the inclusion of the provision shows that House Republicans know they don’t have the votes on their bill, even without the Keystone provision.
“If they are playing games with this or they are putting in poison pills because they can’t pass it otherwise, it shows the kind of regard they have for middle-class concerns,” Schumer said. “They don’t have the support and that’s their problem.”
Schumer said the Senate is still waiting for a viable alternative from the House or the Senate Republicans.
“We have lots of ideas for viable alternatives, we just need a dancing partner and thus far the House hasn’t given us one, nor have the Senate Republicans stepped forward,” Schumer said.
The Senate has announced it will hold votes this afternoon on the dueling Senate proposals for the payroll-tax holiday extension.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the Senate Democratic-tweaked proposal as announced this week. And the Senate will vote again on the Senate Republican payroll-tax cut proposal that received only 20 Republican votes when it was defeated last week.
Both measures will likely fail in the Senate.
Best Commencement Speeches of 2012 
Joe Biden Recalls Death of Wife, Daughter
How many times do we have to go down this road. The Money comes directly from funds for social security. The sacred cow, the lock box, the protection fund for the elderly. This is the democratic party’s own terms. So now let’s dig into it, in an effort to
save the Obama Presidency. All of 2011 we dug into it, and what do we see,protestors
in every major city, OWS , crying about no jobs and unequal pay. Not working! But Let’s
go back for more and change the funding of Social security in the process. But leave
government pensions alone, hurt the people you claim to protect what a joke!
Posted by: deadwrestler | December 8, 2011, 1:45 pm 1:45 pm
National debt and federal budget deficit is through the roof. Congress must raise taxes to reduce our red ink. Barack Obama should be forbidden launch of new wars in Syria, Iran, or an African Nation. Abu Dhabi spent enough American money on its Rebels.
Posted by: dustin95sc | December 8, 2011, 2:26 pm 2:26 pm
The Keystone Pipeline fight has nothing to do with the payroll tax. Period. Adding it on to this bill shows us the GOP isn’t really serious about saving the working poor and middle class money. They are only interested in saving the rich, or the corporation, money…………
Posted by: Searambler | December 8, 2011, 2:33 pm 2:33 pm
Not passing the pipeline with Canada proves the Dems and Obama are not serious about jobs and the middle class, only votes.
Posted by: Freedom | December 8, 2011, 5:57 pm 5:57 pm
Freedom – according to TransCanada, their pipeline would generate between 3500 and 4200 jobs. And they would not guarantee that those jobs would go to US workers. Your post is ignorant of reality. And claiming that Obama and the Democrats are not serious about jobs or the Middle Class is a lie. And you know it…..
Posted by: searambler | December 8, 2011, 7:33 pm 7:33 pm