Boehner: 'We May' Try To Attach Keystone Pipeline Plan To Payroll Tax Cut, Again

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- House Speaker John Boehner hinted on Sunday that he will attempt, once more, to tie the fate of a long-term extension of the payroll tax cut to approval of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.

One week after the president -- citing State Department concerns -- put the kibosh on plans to build a pipeline through the United States for the purposes of carrying crude oil, Boehner told "Fox News Sunday" he would attempt to resuscitate the proposal.

"The Keystone pipeline is the prime example of a shovel-ready project that has been through every approval process here in Washington," he told "Fox News Sunday." "Every option is on the table. We are going to do everything we can to try to make sure that this Keystone pipeline is, in fact, approved."

Asked by host Chris Wallace whether he would try to "link" the pipeline to extending the payroll tax holiday for an additional 10 months after it expires at the end of February, Boehner replied,"We may. But as I said, all options are on the table."

This is, more or less, the same tactic that Republicans deployed when the payroll tax cut extension was being debated at the close of last year. Obama then said that expediting the review process for the pipeline would mean that the State Department reviewers would recommend killing it. And, sure enough, that's what happened.

It's hard to imagine that anything changes if Boehner tries again to link the pipeline proposal to the payroll tax cut. If anything, the political fallout that the GOP suffered in late December might give the president comfort in knowing he can win this fight.

Comments

[Aslow]

01:58 PM on 01/29/2012

Obama doesn't care about jobs. Seriously.A dozen lemonade stands would account for the monthly private jobs growth under Obama.So why should he care about a pipeline?

[woombie]

08:38 PM on 01/24/2012

speaker of the house talked about payroll tax. This is a con game. When bill was in Congress, republicans didnt wanted to vote for payroll tax. Why now? As far as 20,000 jobs, there was a study done by Cornell University, It will be 6500 temp jobs. A whistleblower Mike Klink from Keystone Pipeline stated they havent done enough studies. Why rushed into it. It is toxic and madness. speaker of the house and republicans works for oil companies. If this deal goes thru, this will be a big bonus for them not a bonus for jobs. speaker dont care for the American people only for himself and 1%. HEY SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE WHERE ARE THE JOBS?

[devildoc68]

08:24 AM on 01/24/2012

Maybe John Boy needs to do a crying jag on T.V. to get some symphaty and support or have a few more drinks before he gets fired...what a pathetic party this is

[Neil Evansan]

07:59 AM on 01/24/2012

There are two Bills I'd love to see ALL PARTIES pass .....
1 - the "No More Attachments, if it's good enough, it will stand on it's own merits" Bill.
2 - the "If we pass this Bill, we have to de-fund and eliminate one" Bill.

oh heck, lets pass a third ......
3 - the "Eliminate 3/4 of ALL Congressional & Senate Staff positions" Bill.

Of course there's a 4th, 5th & 6th Bill, but I'd have to be elected to Congress or the Senate to put those on the table, but that kinda defeats the purpose of a "limited government" if someone has to run on a platform of creating new bills to limit the Capitol Hill status-quo, doesn't it?

[szweir]

07:43 AM on 01/24/2012

Boehner certainly does not have a strong hand or a bright future.

Strife for strifes sake is really no plan.

I know your OWNERS want you to push through their pipeline (why else would they buy you).

Do your best Johnny and watch the results (only bad for you can be foreseen).

[Tyrant242]

12:44 AM on 01/24/2012

I just love it when they say that this will help reduce dependancy on foreign oil. It comes from CANADA!! Which last time I looked is a foreign country. Oh wait, it is a country that is not full of brown people so that is ok.

[l78lancer]

06:59 PM on 01/23/2012

If you've ever been the supermarket and seen a child on the floor or in a cart (a buggy in Georgia) kicking and screaming because they can't get something that they want, that visual gives a good view of how the republicans are being seen on this issue.

[l78lancer]

06:54 PM on 01/23/2012

They are completely unrelated. Why attach it? The only reason to attach it is politics. If they attach it they lose leverage, they lose credibility, they lose the argument.

Meanwhile, voters continue to lose patience.

[everything news]

06:01 PM on 01/23/2012

The table for all the Options must have only three legs because it keeps falling down.
Boehner thinks that none of us can read between the lines. It is a stalling tactic once again. They will never stop unless we stop them. This is the most incredible and dammaging Congress we have ever seen. And why? Because this is the FRIST BLACK PRESIDENT. And don't write the I am injecting racism because all of this has no other explanation. None whatsover.
Period, the end.

[miamia25]

05:47 PM on 01/23/2012

Crash and burn.........

[GUITFIDDEL]

03:05 PM on 01/23/2012

I guess the Republican Obstructionist Banger Head Morons in Congress that the extremely wealthy and the not really bright, middle and lower middle income Sarah Palin-Rush Limbaugh worshipping, FOX News fans voted in office during the mid terms, are trying to finally get on the books after 12YEARS for JOB CREATION through this “Keystone Polluter and, Environmental Disaster waiting to happen XL Pipe Line JUNK. The only thing is if President Obama stopped CREATING JOBS (private sector also) in this country TODAY, the GOP wouldn’t even be able to match the number he created, even if they squinted their tiny little minds, for 2 ½ terms. Just look at the Republican track record on JOBS and you’ll see. The State Department Report (something else Republicans blocked besides middle and lower income Tax breaks and JOB Legislation in Congress) says the Keystone will only create 20 full time JOBS. YEP! That’s RIGHT….20 JOBS, that’s it. TWENTY FULL TIME JOBS! That's another DAMN SHAME alongside of how GOP Leadership handled 9/11 and other things. Why don't you guys just GET THE HELL out'a HERE??!!

[Rhonda V]

02:58 PM on 01/23/2012

I am speaking as a Canadian who has followed this story. I believe that President Obama has made the only sound choice in his decision. To allow the construction of this oil line is most simply adding yet another nail in this planets coffin. We are a species who is so similar to a virus that it cannot be argued. We destroy everything around us, but for the comparitively speaking, small handful of people who have made a difference to this planet in a positive manner, we would surely be doomed. It is time for the people, the politicians to wake up to the reality of the direction we have taken. Our planet is screaming for compassion. The ever increasing animal species facing extinction are screaming for compassion. We are spelling our own doom. Our children are being left with a future that will be very difficult to exist in if not impossible. I believed in President Obama when he took office and he has reinforced that belief. His decision to end the pipleline is sound!

[OccupyEquality]

12:13 PM on 01/23/2012

Boehner is pushing Keystone because he is invested in making money off that polluting debacle with stock holdings in the oil companies lobbying him to get this passed no matter what the cost to the environment http://pfds.opensecrets.org/N00003675_2010.pdf

[miamia25]

05:47 PM on 01/23/2012

and its legal

[mpk1028]

11:33 AM on 01/23/2012

One must look with deep suspicion when the gop demands that this pipeline be approved without performing the proper research. In no other aspect of politics or life is it ever a sound decision to proceed without due dilligence(see: Iraq war). In addition, republicans have been screaming until blue in the face that "government does not create jos." In this case however, republicans are saying that government's most important responsibilty IS to create jobs, even at the expense of the health and welfare of the public lands and the people. When the gop demands that the pipeline be approved without looking into the cost versus the benefits, you must ask yourself, what don't they want you to know?

[Jared Jentzsch]

10:40 AM on 01/23/2012

PORK PORK PORK!