OPINION

House Republicans Unveil Plan to Extend Payroll Tax Cut

Townhall Staff
Townhall Staff  |  Dec 08, 2011
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WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders on Thursday unveiled their plan to extend a payroll tax holiday and expiring unemployment benefits and pay for them through changes in social spending programs while adding contentious new provisions opposed by Democrats.

In a sharp answer to a bill produced by Senate Democrats that would cut an employee’s share of the payroll tax and impose a new surcharge on income over $1 million, the House Republican bill would pay for the extension through a mix of changes to entitlement programs and a pay freeze for federal workers.

The bill, which is expected to be formally introduced Thursday in preparation for votes next week, would also include a provision to speed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline from oil sands in Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf Coast, something President Obama said Wednesday that he would reject.