Dueling Tax Cut Extension Plans Fail in the Senate

Friday, December 02, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 01: U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) speaks during a news briefing December 1, 2011 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images/Getty)

Neither Democrats' nor Republicans' plans for extending payroll tax cuts passed the Senate on Thursday. The former proposed to extend tax cuts on federal withholdings like Social Security and unemployment for employers and employees; the latter wanted to freeze federal worker's pay until 2015 and reduce that workforce by ten percent. While the respective failure of both measures is attributable to partisanship, some senator's refusals to vote along party lines reflect fierce internal debates about the best way to proceed.

The Takeaway's Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich speaks about the internal strife and what's next for Washington and debt.

Guests:

Todd Zwillich

Comments [1]

listener

"Neither the Democrat's nor Republican's plans for covering the deficit passed the Senate on Thursday".

Is this the same deficit that was nearly quadrupled under Speaker Pelosi in four years with full support of the President?

Dec. 02 2011 10:18 AM

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