On the recordFebruary 7, 2012
The party line from Republican leaders is that Republicans agree on a payroll tax cut holiday; they just need to find a way to pay for it. But Republican Members speak a different language. Georgia Republican Paul Broun told the press: ``The payroll tax holiday is just a gimmick to get Obama re-elected.'' That would be news to the average American family who will see its taxes increase by $1,000 on March 1 without a payroll tax agreement. The press reports a serious Republican split with only a 50/50 chance that Republicans can get their Members to agree on a payroll tax deal. Line that 50/50 Republican split up against their near-unanimous opposition to having wealthy and corporate taxpayers contribute one dime to deficit reduction. I'll leave it to the Republican leadership to reconcile these issues and their caucus. Meanwhile, the clock ticks louder each day. Republicans have 22 days to make up their minds on whether every worker who draws a paycheck deserves a tax cut. ____________________
