Democrats’ Major Concession on Payroll Tax: Will Dump Millionaire Surtax
It sounds like the Democrats are ready to meet the Republicans halfway on extending the payroll tax cut – but the question now is whether the GOP will demand the Dems meet them 100 percent of their way as talk looms of a government shutdown:
In what would be a major concession, President Obama and Senate Democrats will drop their insistence that a surtax on millionaires pay for extending the payroll tax cut, a Democratic source tells CNN. This would be part of a new Democratic offer.
The move comes after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other top Senate Democrats met with President Obama at the White House earlier today.
Meanwhile, talk of a possible government shut down persists:
The Obama administration is alerting employees to the possibility of a partial government shutdown if talks on bills to fund the government and extend the payroll tax cut collapse later this week.
With Congress facing a midnight Friday deadline to either pass a short-term or final measure to fund government operations for the remainder of the fiscal year, Cabinet secretaries and agency heads planned to send an e-mail message to workers by close of business Wednesday informing them that a shutdown could occur, according to multiple administration officials familiar with the plans.
A shutdown would not apply to a wide swath of agencies and departments that already have full-year funding in place thanks to a partial spending bill that passed in November, including the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, House and Urban Development, Justice, State, and Transportation, NASA, and other smaller agencies covered by separate appropriations measures.
In a statement, Office of Management and Budget spokesman Kenneth Baer said Wednesday that “There is no reason for the government to shut down.”Congress could act quickly to pass a short- or long-term spending measure, Baer said, as they have seven times already this year.
A government shut down would further discredit the political class — if it possible for the political class to be more discredited than it already is, except among cheerleading partisans.
9 Responses to “Democrats’ Major Concession on Payroll Tax: Will Dump Millionaire Surtax”
Bet a dollar against a doughnut that the outcome is republican intransigence Joe. Why? Because there is no debt reduction provision to feed republican public statements.
And yet again, the Reps care more for their political “strategery” than the good of the country, while the Dems, desperate to keep the economy afloat, make major concessions.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I’m all in favor of funding the Government, but we should not extend that sham payroll tax cut. It’s time to restore the payroll tax to what it was, and to lift the caps, and make all people pay it on all income.
When I saw this story, a headline from the future sprang into my head:
“President Obama Wins Re-Election, Concedes to Republicans Anyway.”
cj, that may just be what will happen. Of course, it will probably have to include:
…to Republicans Anyway in an effort to spur the economy
or
…to Republicans Anyways to prevent WWIII
or some such
Not to worry. This is the Democratic strategy to win as many seats as possible in the next election.
They are betting that Republican intransigence, that could lead to a government shut down, will shake those voters that remember Mr. Gingrich’s last one out of their complacency. And also remind them of why they really don’t want Gingrich.
Of course this could all be Kabuki theater that both sides are playing, but I really don’t want to be that cynical.
Sounds reasonable. The ’99%’ should pay their fair share of their govt. imposed retirement funds.
But more importantly, boys n girls, it’s been over 900 days since the Democrats in the Senate have passed a budget.
Back in November of this year, Senate Majority Leader Reid said it would be “foolish” to have a budget.
Yup. Because all multi-trillion dollar organizations with global military and economic influence are run by throwing darts at a board and hoping it will change for the best.
What a bunch of clowns.
The myth of the Vertibrate Democrat remains untarnished … at least inside the Beltway.
What cjjjack and Hart said. I’ve been around long enough to remember the days when D’s weren’t afraid to get up on their hind legs. It’s been awhile..