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    December 20, 2011

Vote in US House Could Result in Tax Hike for Millions

   VOA News
   House Speaker John Boehner (file photo)
   Photo: AP
   House Speaker John Boehner (file photo)

   Millions of Americans could see their taxes go up while others could
   soon lose their unemployment insurance thanks to renewed political
   gridlock in Washington.
   The U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday side-stepped a vote on a bill
   to temporarily extend a payroll tax cut, calling instead for a new
   round of negotiations.
   Republican House Speaker John Boehner told reporters afterward that
   Republican lawmakers in the House had done their job, placing the blame
   on lawmakers in the U.S. Senate.
   The failure of House Republicans to pass the Senate sparked an angry
   reply from U.S. President Barack Obama.
   Mr. Obama interrupted his press secretary's news briefing Tuesday,
   criticizing House Republicans for trying to wring political concessions
   out of Democrats on what the president described as "extraneous"
   issues.
   He said the American people are tried and weary of such gamesmanship
   and deserve better.
   The White House says 160 million Americans will see their taxes go up
   by about $1,000 a year if the House fails to pass the tax cut extension
   by the end of the year.
   The White House also says about two million out-of-work Americans will
   lose their unemployment insurance if the House does not act.
   Top Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have said they
   want the payroll tax cut extension to last for a year. House Republican
   Majority Leader Eric Cantor told reporters late Monday that the
   two-month extension is an "unworkable solution," and he vowed to
   continue pushing for a one-year extension.
   Senate leaders have said they have no plans to negotiate a new deal
   before the end of the year.
   The Senate on Saturday overwhelmingly approved the two-month extension
   of a payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans.
   The White House Tuesday said it wants lawmakers to pass the two-month
   tax cut extension now, and then approve the cut for a full year when
   they return from their holiday break in January.

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