As the deadline fast approaches, there is still no agreement on the Payroll Tax Cut Extension for two reasons. First, Republicans are threatening Main Street America with this tax increase, unless they can get some welfare for corporate criminals as a trade off. They want to attach the Keystone XL Pipeline. Second, Republicans accuse Democrats of having no way to pay for it. That, of course is a lie.
Lawmakers agreed in December, after much bickering, on a two-month extension, but that runs out at the end of this month. Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday that Congress "needs to stop this middle-class tax hike from happening. Period. No drama. No delay."
Obama said the economic recovery must not be jeopardized by a failure to stop payroll taxes from rising, and he urged listeners to add their voices.
"I hope you’ll pick up the phone, send a tweet, write an email, and tell your representative that they should get this done before it gets too late. Tell them not to play politics again by linking this debate to unrelated issues. Tell them not to manufacture another needless standoff or crisis," Obama said. "Tell them not to stand in the way of the recovery. Tell them to just do their job. That’s what our middle class needs. That’s what our country needs."
Lawmakers have made halting progress on legislation to extend the tax cut. The bill also would renew jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed and prevent doctors from a 27 percent cut in their payments from Medicare, the government health care program for the elderly. But the plan costs $150 billion-plus and lawmakers will have to find a way to pay for it… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <USA Today>
Here is the video, or if you prefer, the transcript.
Democrats, do have a way to pay for this, a tiny surcharge on people making over $1 million per year, but Republicans insist on blackmail.
Congressional Republicans said Thursday that negotiations over extending a payroll tax cut were going so poorly that it was possible the tax break — along with added unemployment benefits — could expire at the end of the month.
If the benefits are allowed to lapse, it will be a stunning coda to a battle that has lasted months on Capitol Hill over whether and how to extend a two-percentage-point tax break for nearly every working American and to provide additional unemployment benefits for millions more. A temporary agreement forged in December cost Republicans politically and left both parties locked in another round of fights over how to cover the costs.
In addition, Republicans are seeking numerous policy changes connected to unemployment benefits — like a mandatory high school equivalency program and possible drug testing for beneficiaries — that Democrats have rejected out of hand. They would also reduce the benefits to 59 weeks, far less than the 79 weeks sought by President Obama… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <NY Times>
This is not difficult to understand. Republicans want tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires, and corporate criminals only. Republicans want to raise YOUR taxes. They face the problem that the public is solidly against them on both extending the tax cut and on how to pay for it. So they are casting about, desperately seeking a way to pick YOUR pocket and blame it on the Democrats.
I urge you to support Obama’s request and make some noise.
19 Responses to “Tax Cut Draws More Republican Obstruction”
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I know you have a hard on for Obama, but I do think that when he has failed to close Guantanamo, has instigated the NDAA. and has spoken all over the country in support of fracking . although it’s not difficult to understand where the worst of the country stands, why should I pay attention to the second worst? Come on TC – Yes I so agree that the republicsums are not worthy of a nod or a weak wrist, I do think with an effort such as yours we could actually place someone like Anderson in the WH, I know how resistant you are to anyone but another prostituting democrat to fill the the bed – but come on – maybe even you could succomb to a little reason and notice that your gal is a little “used”.
Lee, on Gitmo, Mr Obama signed an executive order 22/01/09 to close Gitmo but Congress took care of that issue in May 2009 when it passed a law that the detainees could not be brought to the US to stand trial. They sent some of the prisoners to other countries that wanted them, but ultimately there were prisoners left in US custody. Granted, at that time it was a more favourable Congress than today’s, but let’s face it, there has been and continues to be a lot of Islamaphobia whipped up, and I suspect that legislators caved to that in part. Have a look at this story by Kit B.
http://www.care2.com/news/member/451276626/3095770
I visited the Kit article, and while I am well aware of all those positives, and I see that I’ve met a lot of resistance here because of my “principles”, but I won’t vote for this guy who still endorses renditioning and hasn’t brought the traitors of the previous party to justice. He has made the stand worse by NDAA, and has gone around the country touting fracking. Perhaps my “issue-oriented” mind won’t compromise, and fortunately I live in a state where I can afford to vote my conscience, although I’m not supporting Schumer or Gillebrand either – they haven’t spoken out against fracking, and they signed the NDAA – I suppose I’ll vote “green”, if Rocky Anderson doesn’t make it on the ballot!
Principles are based on reason, not myth.
Thanks for this, Lynn.
Lee, once again you have misstated my position. If Bernie Sanders had challenged Obama in the primary, I would have supported him, and he received email from me requesting that he do so. But now I support Obama, because there is no other choice that can win between he and the republican, whoever that may be. I regularly call him out when he is wrong, but when he is right, I give him credit. When I do, you frequently repeat your mantra of errors. I have explained Gitmo to you several times, as Lynn just did, but you refuse to attend to the facts. While I am also against the NDAA, I broke down the language of it several times and explained why it did not mean what you said it dis, but you refused to attend to the facts. While I agree with you about fracking, as you well know, I would rather it be regulated, if I can’t prevent it. A vote for greens is a vote for unregulated fracking. Now, it’s not just me. Other people are calling you out for the way you religiously cling to your anti-Obama rhetoric that has been debunked time and time again for you.
You vote however you want. I just hope few are not so foolish as to help the Republican by throwing away their votes.
TC Your political image here says it all—-
Thanks Phyllis.
Lee, please….. can it. I am not the President’s biggest fan either, and I believe he’s made some serious mistakes, but I don’t think that he realized until fairly recently that he’s dealing with the seriously deranged. He thought if he gave a little here, they’d give a little there. That was wrong, and a lot of us knew that, but each person has to come to enlightenment in his or her own way; no matter what I tell you, you will still go your own way.
I think an Obama second term will be a better deal than the first one was. Starting with the fact that Chimpy’s job-destroying goody bags to the rich will expire in January 2013, one way or another.
JR, on Care2 we give green stars for many things, but above all, they are treasured (well at least some of us treasure them). Excellent comment
JR, I second what Lynn said. Thank you,
This will be another knock-down, dragged out fight. they just can’t agree on anything to help Main Street. It’s Wall Street all the way for these obstructionists.
Too true.
Sounds like another job for retarded monkeys. http://www.canucklehead.ca/look/thats-bananas.html
Excellent link, Blue!
From the article — “In addition, Republicans are seeking numerous policy changes connected to unemployment benefits — like a mandatory high school equivalency program and possible drug testing for beneficiaries — that Democrats have rejected out of hand.”
What a bunch of morons! They appear to presume that if you’re unemployed it is because you are uneducated which is total BS. Sure there will be some that this might affect, but let’s face it, unemployment is so widespread that it is affecting those with university degrees as well. Now if they wanted to change it to retraining to meet the requirements of today’s job market, that might be a different story. And drug testing? Didn’t Florida already show that the failure rate of drug tests for the welfare recipients was lower than the general population? Part of the reason that there is a problem is because the addle-brained GOP continue to kow-tow to the 1% and corporations, the so called job creators, and support their out-sourcing of jobs overseas to places like India and China where wages are extremely low by comparison. God bless the almighty dollar, NOT!
That the GOP want to attach something like another shot at the Keystone XL and hold the nation hostage yet again is simply more GOP BS. I listened to McConnell at CPAC on Friday with his pronouncement that Mr Obama killed tens of thousands of American jobs when he killed Keystone XL in January. The GOP obviously didn’t pay attention to TransCanada Pipelines, one of their co-conspirators, when they said they lied about the numbers of jobs that would be created. Not only that, they can’t even agree on the numbers of jobs lost — Boehner said 120,000 jobs a month ago, TransCanada originally said about 54,000 jobs if I remember correctly, and now McConnell at tens of thousands.
When Mr Obama said Congress “needs to stop this middle-class tax hike from happening. Period. No drama. No delay.” he was spot on. Shared sacrifice GOP style simply means that the 99% share the load and the 1% and corporations get off scott-free.
Please do what Mr Obama asks — raise such a noiose that it rocks the foundations of the Capitol Building! That is the only thing that the GOP might understand.
Well said!
I hear ya, I’m so sick and tired of the back and forth game that the GOP been pressuring.
Hiya RC! 🙂 Long time no see. I couldn’t agree more.