Rep. Boehner calls on House to fix payroll tax now, not in February

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday called on all House members to continue working on a year-long payroll tax bill this week and next, and said failing to fix the problem now would only lead to fighting today's fight all over again in February.

"Who doesn't believe that if we don't do this now, then when we get to February 28th, guess where we'll be?" he asked. "We'll be right here doing the same thing that we're doing right now."

"I just think the American people expect us to do our work," he added. "We've got 10 days to do our work, and we can resolve the differences between the House and Senate bills."

Boehner spoke just after the House voted to disagree with the Senate's two-month payroll tax holiday extension, a move that puts pressure on the Senate to return to work after Democrats had said the Senate is done for the year. Boehner said the Senate quickly approved a two-month solution simply because the holidays are approaching.

"Unfortunately, our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol decided to do what happens around here all too often," he said. " 'Too hard to figure it out, we're getting close to Christmas, we're going to leave, we're going to punt and we're going to send a two-month bill.' "

Boehner also responded to several Democratic speakers who railed against the House vote to go to conference, and said both sides are very close to an agreement.

"So I would ask my colleagues, we can turn the rhetoric down," he said. "We don't have to get overly excited. There's no disagreement here. There's no disagreement at all about the fact that everyone wants to extend this for the next year. The only question is, when do people want to do it?"

Several Democrats today have blamed Boehner himself for the confusion surrounding the weekend decision to seek a conference with the Senate. Democrats said Boehner asked the Senate to reach a deal and then initially supported the two-month extension, but then came out against it after it became clear his caucus did not support it.

Boehner did not address those complaints, but did say members who mentioned him by name on the floor prompted him to speak.

"As I was attempting to eat my lunch I heard my name invoked more than once about what I did and what I didn't do," Boehner explained.

The Speaker also released a letter to President Obama just minutes after the House vote, urging him to call on the Senate to return to Washington and negotiate a new compromise.

“I ask you to call on the Senate to return to appoint negotiators so that we can provide the American people the economic certainty they need,” Boehner wrote.

“The American people need leadership, Mr. President. I hope you will call on the Senate to do the right thing and work with us to pass a bill to extend payroll tax relief for a full year before December 31, 2011.”

Both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have said they would not appoint negotiators to a conference committee.

—Russell Berman contributed.

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