Senate plans to pass two-month tax package Friday morning

Senate leaders plan to pass the two-month payroll tax package by unanimous consent Friday morning when the upper chamber convenes for a scheduled pro-forma session. 

The Senate needs to re-approve the two-month stopgap passage for technical reasons because House Republicans voted to send the previous legislative vehicle to a conference negotiation. The move to pass the bill by unanimous consent will take place shortly after 9:30 a.m. 

Senate Democrats emphasized Thursday that they did not make any concession to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to put the two-month payroll tax package on a fast track for Senate and House approval.

A senior Senate Democratic aide said the staff of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was “happy to make the technical correction” Boehner requested, “as that concern had not been raised previously.”

The unanimous consent agreement will make passage of the proposal contingent on the House sending over a bill identical to the legislation being held at the Senate desk.

Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), the Senate Democrats’ chief on political strategy, proclaimed a victory over Tea Party-affiliated conservatives in the House and began laying the groundwork for the legislative battle ahead.  

“This is a victory for middle-class taxpayers over Tea Party politics. Even though this tax cut is only temporary, this breakthrough could have an enduring impact if it helps tame the faction of House Republicans that habitually tends toward brinksmanship,” Schumer said in a statement.

“We now turn our attention to extending this tax cut for a full year, and we urge our Republican colleagues to seek common ground with us on how best to pay for it,” he added. 

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