John Boehner Rejects Short-Term Payroll Tax Fix, Urges 1-Year Deal

The fight over the payroll tax bill continues as House Speaker John Boehner rejected a short-term plan to extend the tax cuts for another two months. Boehner said that the two-month extension, which passed the Senate with largely bipartisan support, is just kicking the can further down the road.

Boehner said:

“Americans are tired of Washington’s short-term fixes and gimmicks and fixes. We oppose the Senate bill because doing a two-month extension instead of a full-year extension causes uncertainty for job creators.”

ABC News reports that the Senate voted 89-10, with just 7 Republicans voting against the bill, to pass a two-month payroll tax extension. After the vote, Boehner held a members-only conference call with House Republicans who decided to reject the bill.

Boehner said:

“The president has said repeatedly that no one should be going on vacation until the work is done. Democrat leaders in the House and Senate have said exactly the same thing, so I think it’s time for the Senate Democrat leaders to follow the president’s example, put their vacations on hold and work in a bipartisan manner to fix the nation’s business. I’ve been here for a while. I’ve seen Congress kick the can down road, [and] kick the can down the road. It’s time to stop nonsense.”

Boehner may be right about congress kicking the can down the road, but if a deal on the payroll tax isn’t reached, millions of Americans will see their taxes increase starting January 1st.

Sen. Scott Brown said:

“I appreciate their effort to extend these measures for a full year, but a two-month extension is a good deal when it means we avoid jeopardizing the livelihoods of millions of American families. During this time of divided government, both parties need to be reasonable and come to the negotiating table in good faith. We cannot allow rigid partisan ideology and unwillingness to compromise stand in the way of working together for the good of the American people.”

Yahoo! reports that if the House and Senate do not extend the Payroll Tax cut it will cost the average family about $1000 in taxes. Boehner has called for a conference call between the House and Senate to discuss the Payroll Tax. But the conference call could be difficult to set up as members of the senate have already left for Holiday vacation.

What do you think about the House rejecting the short-term payroll tax extension?