Obama tax deal gets nod from Senate. Will House risk making changes?

The Insider: Speier rips Obama, tax cut deal
Rep. Jackie Speier on Friday lambasted the Tax Cut deal President Barack Obama reached with Republicans this week, vowing not to support it unless key provisions are changed, and she questioned the president's political values. Speier said the package doesn't do enough to stimulate The Economy, gives away far too much to the rich and threatens the existence of Social Security. "It's more than TARP, it's more than the stimulus, it's more than any of the interventions we have undertaken (to spur ...

Senate gets cloture on unemployment extension
The Senate voted to override a Filibuster by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and close debate on the $858 billion package that includes extensions of the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy, federal Unemployment Benefits and a number of other Tax Cuts and provisions as well. The vote is still open as some senators are still trying to get back to Washington from their home states, but they already have more than 60 votes necessary to invoke Cloture. An actual vote on the bill, which is expected to pass...

Behind Bill Clinton's smile
You've got to give Barack Obama credit. His learning curve gets steeper and steeper, but he continues to climb. "I'm going to let him speak very briefly," Obama said Friday before making the fateful decision to allow a smiling Bill Clinton a none-too-brief moment in front of the cameras. He might as well have said, "I'm going to let this Grizzly Bear have just one lick of my Ice Cream cone." That Clinton is a camera hog, or that he puts the lie to Obama's reputation as the most eloquent Democra...

McConnell-Obama Tax Cut Deal Heads for Key Votes
The reason some of us were insistent that what Bernie Sanders was doing on Friday was not really a Filibuster was that it did nothing to stop or even slow down the advance of the Tax Cut bill. Today, the Senate will hold the first Cloture vote, on the motion to proceed, and it’s expected to pass with up to 70 votes. As for the House, which was seen as a possible roadblock when the Democratic Caucus voted (in nonbinding Fashion) not to bring the bill up in its current form, Chris Van Holl...

House Democrats won't stop tax cut deal
Maryland Democrat Chris Van Hollen, incoming ranking member of the House Budget Committee, signaled that House Democrats will not stop the tax deal worked out between the White House, Republicans and Senate Democrats.  Just last week, the Democratic Caucus in the House of Representatives passed a nonbinding resolution expressing their Disapproval with the Tax Cut deal, citing the extension of tax cuts for upper income earners and adjustments to the Estate Tax. Additionally, House Democrats ...

Senate Now Voting to Cut Off Debate on Tax Deal
The Senate is now voting to end to debate on the Tax Cut package negotiated by the White House and Republicans and the roll call is expected to last a while. Senators returning to Washington from the West Coast typically do not reach the Capitol until the later afternoon or early evening, and the Majority Leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, agreed to hold the vote open until everyone gets back. Although this is not the vote on final passage of the bill, attendance is crucial. To cut off debate and ...

The plot to destroy Social Security
The nation's largest organization for seniors, AARP, endorsed the Obama Payroll Tax cuts. The organization did this despite the fact that the Obama Compromise offers little in the way of benefits for seniors. The allegedly liberal publication, Mother Jones, just ran a piece by Obama apologist Kevin Drum claiming that there's every reason to believe that the Payroll Tax holiday will be over in just one year as promised in this deal. It's another example of tortured logic listing Republican avar...

Tax deal advances in Senate - Carrie Budoff Brown and Jonathan Allen
President Barack Obama’s tax Compromise with Republicans cleared its first major hurdle Monday, as the Senate agreed to move the $858 billion bill renewing the Bush-era Tax Rates for all Americans to a final vote. The Senate will vote on final passage Tuesday and send the bill to the House, where it is also expected to win approval, but not before Democrats attempt to make changes. Continue Reading Text Size - + reset Politico 44 The bill is expected to receive Bipartisan support in t...

Obama applauds Senate test vote on tax cut plan
President Barack Obama is praising a test vote in the Senate supporting the Compromise tax plan he negotiated with Republicans. He says it proves both parties can work together. The president spoke at the White House on Monday after the Senate surpassed the 60-vote threshold it needed to advance the Legislation toward final passage. A vote that would send the proposal to the House is expected Tuesday. Obama says the plan would help create jobs by providing 13 months of jobless benefits to the un...

McDermott outlines his adamant opposition to tax-cut deal
WASHINGTON — Ever since the unveiling of the tax deal between President Obama and Republicans last week, Rep. Jim McDermott has been railing against it nonstop. The Washington State Democrat slammed Republicans as bullies who care more about "trust-fund babies" than the unemployed. And refusing to back the deal, he and 53 other House Democrats signed a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He voted against the package Thursday in a nonbinding Democratic Caucus vote and says he will vote no aga...

Tributes to Holbrooke, Assange in court, possible tax deal vote in Senate
Reaction to diplomat's death - Richard Holbrooke, 69, who spearheaded the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords that ended the Bosnian war, died three days after surgery to repair a torn aorta. We take a look at reaction from those who knew Holbrooke (pictured above), his legacy overseas, the view that he was an archetype of U.S. Diplomacy and specifically his legacy in Bosnia. Assange in court - Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will reapply for bail at a court hearing Tuesd...

Tax deal clears key Senate hurdle
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The hotly contested tax deal negotiated by President Barack Obama and Republican leaders cleared a key Senate procedural hurdle Monday, with both parties strongly supporting a motion to end debate on the measure. Final Senate approval could come as early as Tuesday on the package that includes extending for two years the Bush-era Tax Cuts set to expire December 31, as well as extending Unemployment Benefits for 13 months, cutting the Payroll Tax by 2 percentage points for a ye...

Tax deal clears key hurdle - next up is Senate vote
Final Senate approval could come as early as Tuesday on the hotly contested tax deal negotiated by President Barack Obama and Republican leaders. The deal cleared a key procedural hurdle Monday, with an 83-15 vote to end Senate debate on the measure, which includes a two-year extension of the Bush-era Tax Cuts set to expire December 31. The plan would also extend Unemployment Benefits for 13 months, cut the Payroll Tax by 2 percentage points for a year and continue a series of other Tax Breaks....

Leading House Dem Steny Hoyer Says "Urgency" of Tax Vote Clear, House Dems Will Probably Pass Legislation
House Democrat Steny Hoyer (Credit: AP) Updated at 6:40 p.m. ET House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said in a press briefing on Tuesday that he expects the House to consider tax plan by the end of the week, and added that, despite House Democrats' initial Protests to the Compromise, he believes the Legislation will ultimately pass in the chamber. Noting the Senate's recent support for the Legislation - which they endorsed by 83 to 15 in a Monday night procedural vote - Hoyer acknowledged that "...

House Dems stew over Obama's handling of tax deal
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, and others, look on as President Barack Obama signs the Healthy, Hunger-Free Act of 2010, during a ceremony at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, Monday, Dec. 13, 2010. The struggle over Tax Cuts is seriously straining President Barack Obama's relationship with House Democrats, who have backed him on key issues even when it cost them politically. Expressing hurt and bewilderment, Democratic lawmakers s...

First Senate vote expected on Obama-GOP tax deal
In this image provided by CBS, White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod talks about Tax Cuts on CBS's Face the Nation in Washington Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010. Senators get their first chance Monday to vote on the tax-cut deal struck by President Barack Obama and Republicans, but whatever the outcome of the test vote, the White House expects the bill to pass by year's end. "Everybody understands what it would mean for The Economy if we don't get this done," Obama adviser David Axelrod said Sunday. T...

Senate votes to move tax cut deal forward, House vote looms
Today the Senate voted to pass on the Tax Cut deal made by President Obama and Republicans.  The vote was merely a procedural motion in order to move forward to final vote on the bill.  Still, the final vote is likely to look much like the vote on this procedural matter, as Senators often vote the same way on procedural motions as they do on their final votes.  The vote is also important as the tax deal would have died had it not passed.  Tomorrow the final vote in the Senate...

Van Hollen To White House: We're Not Bluffing On Estate Tax
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), the incoming ranking member of the House Budget Committee and one of the chief negotiators of a deal to resolve the expiring Bush Tax Cuts, warned on Friday that the White House would be wrong to assume that Democratic frustration with the framework is just letting off steam. Lawmakers, the Maryland Democrat insisted, are serious about efforts to tinker with the deal the president reached with Republicans. Moreover, they felt that there was plenty o...

Obama-Republican Deal Could Mean Tax Hike For One In Three Workers
WASHINGTON - The tax deal reached between President Obama and congressional Republicans could mean a higher tax bill for roughly one in three workers as a result of the Social Security Tax Cut Republicans pushed as a replacement for the current Making Work Pay Tax Credit. The Making Work Pay credit gives workers up to $400, paid out at 8 percent of income, meaning that anybody making at least $5,000 gets the full amount -- and gets as much as anybody else. Its replacement knocks two percentag...

Rose Ann DeMoro: Tax cut deal - the latest threat to our children
In the aftermath of a tax deal that will accelerate the shift of wealth to the Richest Americans, it's worth calling attention to a new report about how far the U.S. is sinking below other major nations in how we take care of our Children. A UNICEF report released last week brings this alarming news into focus -- among the world's 24 Richest nations, the U.S. ranks a paltry 23rd in material well-being , 22nd in health well-being, and 19th in education well-being for our youth. "Socio-economic ...

Congress: Tax deal easily clears Senate hurdle
The Boston Globe: “A Bipartisan bloc of senators easily propelled President Obama’s Tax Cut Compromise over a key procedural hurdle yesterday, clearing the way for a final Senate vote as early as today, and setting the stage for a potential showdown later this week among divided Democrats in the House.” The final vote was 83-15. "The Washington Post adds, “Republicans and Democrats joined forces in the Senate on Monday to deliver the most significant Bipartisan vote sinc...

Chaffetz vs. Hatch: Utah reps differ on tax deal
Utah’s District 3 Representative Jason Chaffetz-R and Senator Orrin Hatch-R are on different sides when it comes to the Tax Cut deal made between the White House and Congress. Hatch supports the deal, and says voting against the Tax Cut extension is just like voting for higher taxes. Chaffetz says there is more bad than good in the deal. In an article he wrote in the National Review, Chaffetz says “of the $58 billion in the president’s proposal, more than 25 percent represents ...

Tax-cut deal clears big hurdle in Senate
In an overwhelming Bipartisan vote, the Senate on Monday cleared a path for the tax-cut deal President Obama struck with congressional Republicans last week, with even former staunch opponents of the Bush-era Tax Cuts voting for their extension. The 83-15 vote ends a Filibuster attempt by Liberal Democrats and gives a boost to the deal ahead of an expected showdown in the House this week, where Democratic leaders have said they will try to alter the $857 billion package. "This proves that both p...

Add-ons turn tax cut bill into 'Christmas tree'
WASHINGTON – In the spirit of the Holiday Season, President Barack Obama's tax-cut deal with Republicans is becoming a Christmas Tree tinseled with gifts for Lobbyists and lawmakers. But that hardly stopped the squabbling on Friday, with Bill Clinton even back at the White House pleading the president's case. While Republicans sat back quietly, mostly pleased, Democrats and other Liberals were going at each other ever so publicly. As Clinton lectured on Obama's behalf, Vermont independen...

Estate tax could be more generous to wealthy under Obama-GOP deal
One part of the tax deal between President Obama and congressional Republicans stands out because it would make the tax code even more generous to the wealthy than it was during the Bush era: the Estate Tax. This Story Estate tax could be more generous to wealthy under Obama-GOP deal Senate leaders pack tax bill with narrow credits and perks Interactive graphic: What tax extensions mean to you What's the greatest benefit for Obama's in supporting the extension of Bush Tax Cuts? Deal exposes i...