President Obama Presses Payroll Tax Cut, Unemployment Extension

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is going on the offense Tuesday, raising pressure on congressional Republicans to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance benefits. But it is unclear if the president will accept a GOP effort to separate the two issues.

With weeks before both provisions expire, Obama will host an event at the White House and release a video to nudge Congress to act soon. The White House event, expected to kick off around 10:40 a.m., will feature Americans sharing stories about what the loss of $40 per paycheck means to them. That amount is about how much they would lose if the payroll tax cut isn't extended.

Obama solicited help from the public in December when Congress last fought on the issue. Then, lawmakers failed to pass a yearlong payroll tax cut extension because they couldn't agree how to pay for it, so they opted for a two-month extension for time to reach a long-term deal. That extension expires in late-February.

"To everyone who went online last December and told us what it would be like to lose $40 in every paycheck, you should know that you made all the difference. Your voices changed the debate and reminded Washington what was at stake," Obama says in the new video. "Well, once again, I need you. We all need you to speak out because if Congress fails to act soon, then taxes on the middle class will go up. So use the #40dollars hash-tag on Twitter or head to whitehouse.gov, and tell everyone what $40 means to you."

White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer reiterated that Congress needs to reach an agreement by the end of February or 160 million Americans will be hit with a tax hike.

"In December, we asked America to tell us what losing $40 per paycheck would mean for their family, and the answers came from across the country -- from students trying to stretch the budget a little bit further. From moms who need to buy their children lunch every day in the school cafeteria. And from commuters who are filling up the tank and looking at rising gas prices. Using Twitter, email and Facebook, they told us clearly that $40 can make all the difference in the world," Pfeiffer wrote in a Tuesday morning blog post.

Obama's latest push on the issue comes a day after House Republican leaders unveiled their own plan for a way forward: passing a 10-month payroll tax cut extension that isn't offset and that isn't connected to an unemployment insurance extension.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney ducked questions at a Monday briefing on whether Obama could support splitting the two issues. Democrats want to keep them tied together to ensure both pass. The GOP idea to pass only the payroll tax cut extension could spell trouble for the unemployment benefit extension, an issue far less popular among Republicans.

"This is a hypothetical proposal put out that they said they might do if conversations with folks on Capitol Hill don't progress according to the way they want," Carney said of the GOP proposal. "Let's just see how this process plays out."

Carney said extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance benefits are "equally important" to the economy.

At least one top Democrat doesn't like decoupling the payroll tax from unemployment benefits, nor does she like the idea of splitting those issues from the "doc fix," a measure needed to prevent cuts to Medicare reimbursements.

"The Republican plan to decouple the payroll tax jeopardizes both the ability of seniors to see their Medicare doctors and benefits for millions of Americans who lost their jobs. There is no reason all three of these priorities cannot proceed at the same time," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement.

Comments

[douglas amodie]

11:08 AM on 04/15/2012

i was a finacial printer for 45 years going green took alot of jobs away ,people are using computer instead of recieveing there proxy reports on paper. ive been unemployed since november of 2010, there are no printing jobs for someone going on 62 years old and who wants to retire this year .i thought i was intitled to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits. i got a letter from unemployment on 04-08-12, saying i only had 6 weeks left of 4th euc tier 4 emergancy unemployment compensation thats a total of 78, weeks,what happen to the other 21 weeks? .

[NILDATX]

06:28 PM on 02/22/2012

Obama does want to win the elections with food couponns and Holiday Social Security Tax cut, because HE IS $10,800,000 worth, He will never need the social security benefits. THE MAJORITY NEEDS THE BENEFITS IN THE NEXT GENERATIONS. WHAT HAPPEN WITH THE CUTS FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS? HIPOCRYTAL!

[Needs Vacation]

01:56 PM on 02/16/2012

This is a crisis.

If we don't discuss the important facts then we are doing ourselves a disservice.

This report only suggest less people are losing their jobs.

It's not about unemployment applications, it's about new job
production. The unemployment application numbers have to drop since hiring has been frozen for the past 4 years. Companies can't operate with any less employees.

If high school graduates double the number of newly created jobs
every year, then where are we.

This is a recession, or with the facts will soon turn into one.

[ornamentalunltd2]

03:10 AM on 02/16/2012

This hole thing is a joke! Our constitutional rights no longer are used......We have become the enemy.......voting someone into office is nothing more than a joke........We have been so mess lead and become so lazy our constitution is our last stand.......Or.........whats left of it..........I sure your thinking I'm some kind of nut? Well Do you get to vote on the rules and laws? or mayby your letting the other guy do the right thing?....I sure that your own city is infact will be voting into law or ruling on something this week? and the two or so that show up are voting for the hole city and it gets aproved.....this is why the system is a BIG mess..............Thanks for your help.

[cb523]

09:54 PM on 02/15/2012

Any negative action taken by the state and federal governments to cut unemployment benefits at a time when all economists are expecting another slowdown in the economy will face a very tough time during this election year. President O promised before the Christmas break that unemployment benefits would be extended for another year, not just the two months that were past in a last ditch effort to keep the federalo government running. This action will leave millions of families in dire jeopardy, and we all know just how good that safety net is for the very poor. Dump another 13 mil into that system and let's see how long that safety net lasts. BO will take the hardest hit from the proposed unemployment debacle. Not that I wouldn't mind seeing him beaten soundly by a republican, but because of the mass destruction this will have across the nation, in every neighborhood, every city, rural area, state and also at the federal level, Why is it that the federal government can so offhandly wreak such havoc as this recession, and then declare it over when the unemployment numbers really have not changed that much. Just how many people have stopped filed for unemployment benefits. Shame on you all - representatives, senators and the president for failing the United States one more time. This issue is much more than a political disagreement, we have millions of lives at stake.

[glcps]

04:14 PM on 02/15/2012

When will all of you see that the dems and reps are the same - - they want you choosing sides like bunch of school kids over issues like this. That way their free to continue to take the money and contributions without your notice. The only way you fix this economy is to have manufacturing jobs return to this country. That means they must work together to create legislation and vote in a very low corporate tax rate and impose tarriffs on foriegn imports - - they will never do that - - there's simply to much money flowing their way to leave it as it is now. Big Business wants a world wide economy to control and manipulate and their lobby puts big $ in political pockets to make sure it stays as is. They have to be voted out of office, but I don't think any of you have the guts - seems you'd rather argue over who's a dem and who's a rep, God, Homosexual marraige, abortion and this stuff - - good luck - - if you want to change this crap then either vote Libertarian or start a revolution, but don't sit around and whine about the idots you all voted into office.

[scottwarhar]

09:29 AM on 02/15/2012

Teapublicans have become the party of the people that they a proclaiming to defend us from.They are the party of follow the dog whiisle politics and it is only right if I say.Cheer for decline,hope for failure,complain of progress,change the subject when asked a question,and repeat.My hope is that you voluntarily deport yourselves and allow government to start the job of governing for the majority again.

[Imprimis]

12:01 PM on 02/15/2012

Scot; we are the party of the constitution, which is the law of the land, which is being trampled every day by people who are progressives. We are not Europe...Europe bowed to kings who gave rights to people from (them)...they also took away those rights whenever they saw fit. Our Constitution says "our rights are from God"....this is what makes them inalienable as well as beyond the reach of government to TAKE.

Quite frankly, I am amazed at what I am reading from some of you. Start reading history and searching for yourself...it's not difficult.

[kfrelander]

12:47 PM on 02/15/2012

Imprimis;

Awesome response!!! I couldn't have said it any better.

ABO (Anyone but Obama), 2012

[scottwarhar]

01:08 PM on 02/15/2012

Sir you are quoting the Declaration of Indepenance.The Preamble and the Declaration were written by the same person so I understand your confusion.

[brteyes1969]

07:34 AM on 02/15/2012

I think its good idea for this because middle class make good but dont make enough to make a living and make too much to have help with food stamps

[scottwarhar]

02:34 AM on 02/15/2012

Teapublicans way of winning anything is to deseminate as much misinformation as possiible, repeat it as many times as possible at the highest volume,and proclaim themselves as right.They claim to be the divine saviors of the true America protecting the values of the founding fathers who wrote the Constitution they have never read or understood.They say we are a failure as a country and cheer the decline so that they can again take us back to the principles that they used to cause the decline in the beginnig.They are the moral and fiscal hope of the nation. Anybody that disagree should just leave for when they are in power they will teach us all what austerity means.They advocate that the wealthy need more because we are just a burden they must bare.We working Americans hold them back and force them into Tiffany Bread Lines to feed and clothe their families.You sell your dumb and continue to call it Freedumb.

[Imprimis]

12:18 PM on 02/15/2012

O.K. You are totally ignorant. Have YOU read the Constitution/Declaration of Independence?

How pray tell, does what we think of morals have to do with this discussion? You are all over the place and truly need to learn to FOCUS.

We, too are the working Americans. We do it ourselves, we do not want help from "thugs" wherev er they are situated. We simply say to big government...get out of our lives/bedrooms/cars/workplac/banks/....we owe you nothing. We pay taxes for services which we do not get. We MUST eliminate the IRS and have a tax that does not invade our privacy. The tax needs to be a percentage (the same per cent for everyone). If you earn a dollar, you pay a dime...if you earn a million dollars, you pay one hundred thousand dollars...how is that not fair?

This is my last correspondence in this regard to you.
'

[scottwarhar]

04:16 PM on 02/15/2012

Income tax was written into the Constitution and there are more than the first Ten Amendmants which is basically called the Bill of Rights and not the Ten Commandments.You call me ignorant and kindly I will only call you confused.Do you even understand the difference of a man being left wirh .90 cents to spend as opposed to a man being left with 900 k dollars after taxes and you calling that fair.Our tax system is progressive for a reason even though you seem to have none.Reason that is.This is my last correspondense with you on this subject.

[KRIS52]

01:03 AM on 02/15/2012

Oooooh we are afraid of O.

[plewdawg]

12:06 AM on 02/15/2012

The tax cut will be from FICA. Nice to have extra money in your check. Buy a housse and 1% of the sale price goes to.....you guessed it! FICA. Libs are trying to give short term goals but long term it is going to be a nightmare. Buy, hey, the libs wont be in office by then, so what the heck. You cant give something up without replacing it somewhere else. And what a sweet deal for the government. Throw you some crumbs now so thay can get the lions share later.

[torii]

03:47 AM on 02/15/2012

What Obama fails to mention is that the Republicans asked for the payroll tax cuts to be extended for a year--the Dems would only allow a 2 month extension. So when Obama asks for Congress to pass the bill and get it on his desk--is he speaking to his Democratic party? Do the libs just gloss that fact over? You do remember that originally Obama said he wouldn't sign the bill unless the cuts were extended for a year--When the Republicans wanted to extend it for a year, the Dems said they could only pass it with a 2 yr extension--then all of a sudden Obama sides with them. And now he is spouting that Congress needs to pass the cuts for a year? Does he know what he is doing?

[1960hopper]

05:52 AM on 02/15/2012

Does he know what he is doing? Yes and NO - Yes - he is trying to take the country down and NO - he is completely inept. So the answer is Yes and No.

[winfl55]

11:13 PM on 02/14/2012

How dare we blame the democrats for the the deficit and the debt?

Well, in 2007 Bush may have been in the car but the Democrats were in charge of the gas pedal and steering wheel they were driving the economy into the ditch.
Budgets do not come from the White House. They come from Congress and the party that controlled Congress since January 2007 is the Democratic Party.
Furthermore, the Democrats controlled the budget process for 2008 & 2009 as well as 2010 & 2011.

In that first year, they had to contend with George Bush, which caused them to compromise on spending, when Bush somewhat belatedly got tough on spending increases.

For 2009 though, Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid bypassed George Bush entirely, passing continuing resolutions to keep government running until Barack Obama could take office. At that time, they passed a massive omnibus spending bill to complete the 2009 budget.

And where was Barack Obama during this time? He was a member of that very Congress that passed all of these massive spending bills, and he signed the omnibus bill as President to complete 2009. Let's remember what the deficits looked like during that period:
If the Democrats inherited any deficit, it was the 2007 deficit, the last of the Republican budgets. That deficit was the lowest in five years, and the fourth straight decline in deficit spending. After that, Democrats in Congress took control of spending, and that includes Barack Obama, who voted for the budgets.

[dfinch]

11:47 PM on 02/14/2012

Great comment..Thanks

[Muswell Hillbilly]

12:07 AM on 02/15/2012

From 1986-1988, the Dems controlled the House and the Senate. During that time, the unemployment rate dropped from 7.2% to 5.8%. Since the Dems controlled both houses of Congress, they deserve all the credit not Reagan for the drop in unemployment, right?
The Dems who controlled the House from 1980-88 and the Senate from 1986-88 deserve all the credit for the 16 million jobs that were created during the 1980s, right??
During the Bush years, Dick Cheney said that "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter."
From 2006-2008, the Dems never had a veto proof majority. If Bush were really concerned about spending, he could have vetoed those CR's.Why didn't he? Was he asleep in the car? Was he a weak leader who was bullied by Pelosi, Frank, and Reid?
Two wars, Medicare Part D, and the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts are the reason a budget surplus turned into a huge deficit during the Bush years.

[torii]

12:56 AM on 02/15/2012

to Hillbilly--I guess you can't see your nose despite your face--When Bush left office the unemployment rate was 5.7%--under Obama (with all his "saved Jobs") increased unemployment to over 9%. Thank your lucky stars that the GOP regained the majority control of the House and prevented some of Obama's blank credit card for his spending. Did anyone notice that the unemployment rate has recently be reduced to 8.5%? Wonder why? Obama doesn't seem to figure out that the economy and jobs should have been his main concern when he took office. Not running around the countryside campaigning and trying to sell his Health care.

[winfl55]

10:51 AM on 02/15/2012

You can do better than that. Go back even further. But, you do sound very much like a defensive person. You can give me the detais of what you have isolated, as in the type of congress, whether extreme or moderate. Anyway, I am not opposed to giving credit where credit is due. Obama has done a great job of keeping us safe, I applaud that. He has also kept in place pretty much all the Bush policies in doing so. I applaud that, too.

[aztrukin]

11:13 PM on 02/14/2012

Seems they have caught onto my optoutofbadges. Who else will help?

[aztrukin]

11:08 PM on 02/14/2012

Extend the UE benefits and put those people back on so the world can see just exactly what our unemployed rate is. GOP, get a set and do it. All conservatives, opt out of the badges as a sign of unison.

[winfl55]

11:08 PM on 02/14/2012

If the Democrats inherited any deficit, it was the 2007 deficit, the last of the Republican budgets. That deficit was the lowest in five years, and the fourth straight decline in deficit spending. After that, Democrats in Congress took control of spending, and that includes Barack Obama, who voted for the budgets.

If Obama inherited anything, he inherited it from himself.
In a nutshell, what Obama is saying is "I inherited a deficit that I voted for, and then I voted to expand that deficit four-fold since January 20th."
There is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us sends it on!
"The problems we face today exist because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.

Thanks for the 40 bucks. It means so much more than you getting out of the way so private industry can prosper, If you would do that, you would have plenty of taxes.

[torii]

01:09 AM on 02/15/2012

Great Post--Keep on posting and explaining because some people are unaware. Reid won't even allow the Obama's budget proposal to even be voted on in the Democratic Senate because he doesn't want the American people to see what taxes they will be faced with. Obama just wants to be re elected so badly that he is making promises that future generations will be paying for his folly for years to come.

[winfl55]

05:46 PM on 02/15/2012

It doesn't matter to them. They truly ARE aware, but it is liberal political buddy nose rubbing that won't allow them to really use their so called elite education and cerebellum. They are programed, taking a page oout of the Manchurian Candidate, they repeat like parrots and run away from the facts. Poor little guys.

[TOPGUNELITE]

02:07 AM on 02/15/2012

winfl55, you are writing and not connecting with your head. Why do Republicans supports are and not thinking, is this called the Bush Doc-trine? I am sorry, I was thinking like a Republican.

[winfl55]

05:41 PM on 02/15/2012

"Why do Republican­s supports are and not thinking,.." Not sure what you are saying by that. Unlike the liberals there is no "connecting with the head" necessary when you know the facts. They are what they are. There is no need to put the ol' goofy faux elite spin on the truth. You liberals should try it sometime. You will sleep better knowing you finally were honest.