Republicans muscle tax cut bill through House

[IamK]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defiant Republicans pushed legislation through the House Tuesday night that would keep alive Social Security payroll tax cuts for some 160 million Americans at President Barack Obama's request — but also would require construction of a Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline that has sparked a White House veto threat.

Passage, on a largely party-line vote of 234-193, sent the measure toward its certain demise in the Democratic-controlled Senate, triggering the final partisan showdown of a remarkably quarrelsome year of divided government.

The legislation "extends the payroll tax relief, extends and reforms unemployment insurance and protects Social Security — without job-killing tax hikes," Republican House Speaker John Boehner declared after the measure had cleared.

Referring to the controversy over the Keystone XL pipeline, he added, "Our bill includes sensible, bipartisan measures to help the private sector create jobs."

[Angry Dragon]

1. Needs to be vetoed if it passes the Senate

[chemp]

2. the liberal in me says

Veto this mess.
The broke, unemployed, out of insurance, father wants the unemployment insurance extension. Yesterday.

[Angry Dragon]

5. the thing of it is that the pipeline has nothing to do

with the rest of the bill

The republicans have nothing to lose if Obama vetoes it because of the pipeline

[handmade34]

17. understood...

that's their plan... they are pure evil!

[INdemo]

19. Wait a minute..what ever happen to the line item veto that Bush used over 100 times

[karynnj]

22. Bush never had a line item veto - Clinton did, but it was called unconstitutional

In 2004, Kerry ran on a version of the line item veto that required the "deleted stuff" to come back to the Congress and get a vote - on the entire set of deletions. The idea being that if the President really did put just things that were pork it could get the large number of votes (I think 67) needed to actually delete things - if he put partisan things in, it would fail. (I think the number was intentionally as high as a veto - but it was the President who needed the support of 67 people - rather than the people opposed to the President)

There was a 2005 Republican effort to try a version like Kerry's, but other than Kerry, it got little Democratic support.

[PamW]

26. Correct!

The Congress passed a line-item veto bill in 1996; but it was immediately challenged in Court and declared unconstitutional,
which was ultimately affirmed by the US Supreme Court. President Clinton only used it on a couple bills before the Courts
struck it down:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_Item_Veto_Act_of_1996

PamW

[MH1]

30. Yep.

I think the line item veto is a good idea. Considering how much congressional Dems cave rather than repubs, I think it would be a net benefit for progressives, because Dem presidents would have more use for it than repub presidents. (E.g.: if the parties were reversed the Dems NEVER would have added a poison pill like the pipeline in with the payroll tax extension.)

[karynnj]

33. I agree

Not to mention if it was done as Kerry proposed, it could only remove a set of items that taken together would look so horrible that there would not be a party line bill.

In addition, it was a tool for budgets only - and it would be removing expenditures. I don't think it could remove items that are not elements of the budget.

The Republican likely erred here by putting in too many poison pills. Sadly, they might have won the public if all they did was put the pipeline approval in - though I wonder if the fact that that is so clearly an executive branch responsibility that it might be unconstitutional. Not to mention, what does it mean - the agency has to do the appropriate work to approve or reject it and it is rather hard to legislate how long that takes. It could depend on what they find.

[TX_Taxpayer]

40. From Me?

The broke, unemployed whiner wants to take money from other taxpayers.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. OK, Obama.........get ready to veto this mess...n/t

[INdemo]

41. If he vetos this bill he has a chance of relection...

he signs it Deomcrats stay home

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. The Republicans are the lowest form of life

what is the pipeline doing in there?

[Hotler]

29. Plus they suck. n/t

[James48]

6. VETO- please!

Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan, senior (D) lawmaker on the Ways and Means Committee, displayed a placard that said:

"Seniors sacrifice: $31 billion. Federal workers sacrifice: $40 billion. Unemployed Americans sacrifice: $11 billion. Millionaires and billionaires sacrifice: $0."

As a federal employee, I am not happy that this bill:

#1. Freezes my and other employees pay AGAIN for the third year straight;

#2. boosts the employee contribution from 0.8% of pay, to 4% of pay towards the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) pension;

#3 reduces the pension calculation of FERS from a High-3 to High-5 calculation, meaning a cut, on average of about 10% in the value of the pension payment;

#4. A reduction of 1% per year credit for years worked to 0.7% per year credit (pension becomes 21% of high-5 years pay, instead of 30% of high-3 pay)

#5 the elimination of the FERS supplement for retirements before age 62. (Currently, if you work over 30 years, you could retire as early as age 57, and receive 30% of your high-three years pay, plus a small supplement until Social Security kicks in at age 62.)


Sure, make me pay. And don't go bothering those millionaires and billionaires. They already pay enough, right?

What about "shared sacrifice?"

[atreides1]

21. But have you noticed

That the "liberal media" has so far failed to mention the other poison pills in this bill...the only part they're reporting on is the oil pipeline!

I guess the Repukes wouldn't want to piss off those federal employees who for some odd reason keep voting Republican, not to mention Seniors who seem to buy into the crap that the Repukes sell them!

I work for the federal government as well, but in a donated position so I don't fall under FERS, but my pay would still be frozen.

[lib2DaBone]

7. I'm not worried about pipelines or payroll tax deductions (smoke and mirrors)

I AM worried about SB1867 which says the Military can arrest Americans at home with no trial and throw them in jail forever.

If Obama does not Veto SB1867.. everyone who posts here at DU will be subject to arrest for "collaboration".

[24601]

10. I read the bill on Thomas and that language is not there - can you link to the text you claim?

[James48]

11. which bill are you asking about? n/t

[24601]

36. FY 2012 NDAA provisions about custody - here's the CRS sumary

(Sec. 1032) Requires U.S. Armed Forces to hold in custody pending disposition a person who was a member or part of al Qaeda or an associated force and participated in planning or carrying out an attack or attempted attack against the United States or its coalition partners. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such requirement in the national security interest. Makes such requirement inapplicable to U.S. citizens or U.S. lawful resident aliens. Outlines implementation procedures.

Nothing in there about the military making arrests and custody requirememnts are inapplicable not only for US citizens, but also for lawful resident aliens.

[cstanleytech]

8. I hope Obama signs it into law

providing it includes a 12% tax increase on those earning a million or more per year part of which should be used to pay for expediting the pipeline and the GOP had best agree to sign off on it unless of course they are willing to admit finally that they really are only interested in helping the wealthy.

[cyberpj]

27. I had no idea about the 12% increase on the wealthy in there. Question:

if he does sign it into law, aren't there other recourses to delay and obstruct the pipeline project?

[cstanleytech]

32. Thats assuming it even makes it to the presidents desk and he signs it

but lets assume for a moment he does sign it the only option I see is the courts but other than that not to much that I can think of that can be done.

[cyberpj]

35. Then he'll just have to sign it with a footnote exclusion clause, like Bush did,

indicating: I'm siging off on everything but (fill in the blank).

Didn't that happen?

More than once?

Apparently no one cared enough to do anything about it:

ABA: President's Bill-Signing Statements Violate the Constitution
The Associated Press
July 25, 2006
President Bush's penchant for writing exceptions to laws he has just signed violates the Constitution, an American Bar Association task force says in a report highly critical of the practice.

The attachments, known as bill-signing statements, say Bush reserves a right to revise, interpret or disregard measures on national security and constitutional grounds.

ABA policymakers will decide whether to denounce the statements and encourage a legal fight over them.

This content may be available on associated press. If the article you are looking for is older than six months, it will be available on LexisNexis.com.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1153744530713&slreturn=1

Did they?

[DCBob]

9. This is not a tax cut bill.. its a pipeline bill.

I guarantee the GOPers want the pipeline more than the tax cut.

[karynnj]

23. Exactly - and they do not have the way to get it otherwise

as the administration has responsibility for the needed approvals.

[libinnyandia]

24. Actually a lot of Nebraska Republicans don't want the pipeline as presently routed .

[DCBob]

28. And every other Republicans wants it built ASAP regardless of what states it goes through.

[Samba]

12. Link is missing - heres one

http://www.wsmv.com/story/16310672/republicans-plan-house-ok-of-payroll-tax-cut-bill


This ones also AP and same headline but looks ... preliminary
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20111213/NEWS/312130153/

[McCamy Taylor]

13. The title on DU's front page is much better than the title above.

I would call it "GOP House Holds Payroll Tax Holiday and Medicare hostage."

[Moostache]

14. TAKE AWAY MY TAX CUT PLEASE!!!! (AND I NEED THE MONEY!!!)

I don't care if my taxes increase, Mr. Obama, kick these sons-of-bitches in the damn teeth and I will forgo any price, but PLEASE do not allow a pipeline to traverse the heartland, farmlands and the majority of the fresh water aquifers in North America!!!

PLEASE, DO NOT CAVE TO THE TRUE TERRORISTS!!!

[truthisfreedom]

15. Hrmm.

I wonder how this one will end.

[Turbineguy]

16. They are like perverts

who offer children candy in exchange for sexual favors.

[handmade34]

18. this is what they say the bill is...

contact your Senators!!! and tell them what we think (Rebublican links...I get their propaganda too)


http://www.gop.gov/indepth/jobs/contact

http://www.gop.gov/indepth/jobs/facts

[JustAnotherGen]

25. Adding

Simple list of names/numbers -

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Menendez and Lautenberg called and emailed and told to obstruct!

[CarmanK]

20. Republicans payroll tax cuts pd for by increasing Medicare costs to seniors by $38bn

freezing wages of govt workers, increasing hlth care costs on govt workers and reduce the number of weeks of eligibility for the millions of unemployed and new unemployed.

[KansDem]

31. Where are the "line item veto" adocates now?

Probably hanging out where the "10th Amemdment is Sacred" crowd hung out during the Bush v. Gore ruling...

[pinto]

34. Link to NY Times article -

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/us/politics/house-passes-extension-of-payroll-tax-cut.html

[eilen]

37. This bill sucks and deserves to die

First, I don't want SS and Medicare to be underfunded. I'll gladly pay my portion and expect my employer to pay theirs.

Pipeline-- Tell Canada to build their own refinery more conveniently located to their tar sands. They can transport it by truck over their own roads to their coast for shipping overseas.

Federal Pensions and pay, leave them alone.

Fuck the Tea Party and the "Republicans". (Current Republicans have no similarity to the Roosevelt Conservatives and Republicans I grew up with, I don't know what they are but they sure are something else-- Teddy Roosevelt would never have allowed this pipeline).

[ecoalex2]

38. Psychopaths

The Republicans are suicidal psychopaths.The XL pipeline is a global death wish.

[DreamSmoker]

39. I agree