While Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said lawmakers shouldn’t allow anyone’s taxes to go up this year, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus said later that the payroll tax cut is not high on the priority list.
“If what you’re doing is trying to help working families, it’s hard to do better than a payroll tax cut,” he said, adding, “If what you’re trying to do is help the economy, it’s hard not to do better than a payroll tax cut.”
Foster figures that either Obama or the Republicans will propose the extension before the election, and the other side will quickly back it.
“I’m not sure why anybody running for election or re-election would want to run on allowing a big tax hike on the middle class,” he said.
Foster says Republicans generally don’t like the payroll tax cut as much as other tax cuts and are still smarting from the beating they took on the issue last year — but he suggested they should beat Obama to the punch this time.
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
