House Passes Payroll Tax Cut Extension

Ignoring a veto threat from President Barack Obama, the House has approved a Republican-sponsored bill extending the payroll tax cuts for another year.The final vote was 234 to 193, with only ten Democrats supporting the bill. It is expected the Democratic-controlled Senate will reject the measure due to certain GOP policy provisions.U.S. Rep. Todd Young, R-In., who voted in favor of the measure, released a statement praising its passage, saying it was a needed step to help a wide range of Americans struggling in the midst of a down economy."As our economy continues to stall and unemployment remains above 8%, many Hoosiers are struggling to get by," said Young. "This bill helps in a variety of ways, whether you’re unemployed, working multiple jobs to make ends meet, or retired and depend on government programs like Medicare to pay for health care."Earlier in the day, U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., who voted against the bill, told WFPL the provisions put in by Republicans had nothing to do with keeping the tax relief for another year, such as rolling back environmental protections and changing unemployment protections."The Republican plan changes the way unemployment benefits are structured, it reduces the number of weeks of eligibility and it puts new constraints on those who have been laid off," he said. "Just one after another it raises these very ideological points for Republicans and conservatives without absolutely any discussion, debate or analysis."