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Schumer to House Speaker: "Just vote on payroll tax cut."

The debate continues in Washington over the extension of payroll tax cuts. House Speaker John Boehner says the tax cut legislation, expected to come up for a vote Tuesday, will not pass. 

Schumer's take on the political morass in Washington? Just let the House vote on the payroll tax cut legislation.  He thinks the House of Representatives would pass the legislation that the Senate already approved last weekend, that extends the tax cuts for two months.  Schumer says democrats thought that the  republican controlled House would go along with the legislation and doesn't want to start negotiating again on this issue right now.

"If we try to get into more negotiations, negotiating with Speaker Boehner is sometimes like trying to tack Jell-O to the wall. It's impossible to do, and the goalpost keeps moving back and moving back and moving back," said Schumer. 

Schumer says Congress shouldn't let small groups of lawmakers on the far left or far right dictate what's happening, and he says he believes it's the Tea Party representatives who forced the House Speaker to pull his support from the legislation.  Democrats and Republicans do agree on one thing; that the tax cuts should be extended. If they are, it means an extra $1,000 for the average taxpayer in the coming year.

 

Ellen produces news reports and features related to events that occur in the greater Syracuse area and throughout Onondaga County. Her reports are heard regularly in regional updates in Morning Edition and All Things Considered.