Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spent much of Monday urging House Republicans to take up a Senate-backed measure temporarily extending a payroll tax cut, and warning that the Senate would not reconvene before the end of the year.
“My House colleagues should be clear on what their vote means today. If Republicans vote down the bipartisan compromise negotiated by Republican and Democratic leaders, and passed by 89 senators including 39 Republicans, their intransigence will mean that in ten days, 160 million middle class Americans will see a tax increase, over two million Americans will begin losing their unemployment benefits, and millions of senior citizens on Medicare could find it harder to receive treatment from physicians,” said Mr. Reid.
The Nevada Democrat said the latest hurdle facing an extension of payroll tax cuts was simply the result of House politics. Speaking Monday, Mr. Reid warned House Speaker John Boehner to build support for the proposal, which Mr. Reid said had been negotiated at the behest of Mr. Boehner.
“Senator McConnell and I negotiated a compromise at Speaker Boehner’s request,” said Mr. Reid. “I will not re-open negotiations until the House follows through and passes this agreement that was negotiated by Republican leaders, and supported by 90 percent of the Senate.”
House Republicans are expected to vote in opposition of the Senate measure on Monday evening, after which they will likely call for Senate and House negotiators to meet in order to strike a deal. That said, aides close to Mr. Reid said the Nevada Democrat would not appoint conferees.
