Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Sunday that neither he nor rank-and-file House Republicans supported the Senate’s two-month payroll tax cut extension, casting doubt on the chances for an agreement less than a week before Christmas.
“It’s pretty clear that I and our members oppose the Senate bill,” Boehner said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” a day after Republican lawmakers voiced strong opposition to a measure that passed the Senate on an overwhelming 89-10 vote on Saturday.
The House will return to Washington on Monday night, and GOP leaders said the lower chamber will either amend the Senate bill or approve a formal conference committee to bridge the gap between that version and a House-passed, one-year extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance benefits.
Boehner sharply criticized the Senate for approving only a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut when both President Obama and Republican leaders had backed a yearlong extension.
“How can you do tax policy for two months?” Boehner asked. “I believe that two months is just kicking the can down the road. The American people are tired of that.”
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