Politico: Payroll tax bill passes

[Robert_S]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70810.html

Congress on Friday easily approved a two-month extension of the payroll tax break and renewed several other provisions dealing with unemployment and Medicare, capping a wild week in which lawmakers engaged in one final nasty legislative fight before an annoyed American public.

The end was quick and painless for House Republicans, who capitulated to President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats after taking Capitol Hill to the precipice of a pre-Christmas crisis that threatened to raise taxes on 160 million Americans on Jan. 1.

The compromise measure passed on a voice vote in both chambers quite quickly, and with that, Congress is off for nearly a month and Obama will head to Hawaii to join his family for Christmas vacation.

The president made a quick appearance in the White House briefing room Friday afternoon to thank Congress for passing the tax holiday extension just before the deadline.

“When Congress returns, I urge them to keep working without drama, without delay to reach an agreement that extends this tax cut as well as unemployment insurance through all of 2012,” Obama said before lifting off for Honolulu.


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