Tax deal stumbles toward final vote - Carrie Budoff Brown and Jake Sherman

Tax package heads toward high stakes vote in House
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walks on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010. A massive tax package that would save millions of Americans thousands of dollars in higher taxes is headed for a vote in the House Thursday even as rebellious Democrats complain it is too generous to the wealthy. House Democratic leaders plan to pass the bill Thursday. But first, they will hold a vote on imposing a higher Estate Tax than the one negotiated by President Barack Obama. The ...

Tax package heads toward high stakes vote in House
WASHINGTON (AP) — A massive tax package that would save millions of Americans thousands of dollars in higher taxes is headed for a vote in the House Thursday even as rebellious Democrats complain it is too generous to the wealthy. House Democratic leaders plan to pass the bill Thursday. But first, they will hold a vote on imposing a higher Estate Tax than the one negotiated by President Barack Obama. The Senate overwhelmingly passed the package Wednesday, with broad Bipartisan support. Now...

House Set to Vote on Tax Bill
Like this Story? Share it: The bill to extend Bush-era Tax Cuts was passed by the Senate and is now up for vote in the House. Nancy Cordes reports. CBS News political analyst John Dickerson is joined by The Hill newspaper's managing editor Bob Cusack for analysis on Capitol Hill's top headlines, including votes on the tax cut Compromise and the omnibus spending bill, plus the status of the Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." (CBS/AP) President Barack Obama closed in on a major legislative victory...

So, we make another crappy "compromise" -- i.e., the tax package -- because, y'know, we HAVE to (wink, wink)
by Ken A sweeping tax package negotiated by the White House and GOP leaders sailed through the Senate on a 81-19 vote Wednesday and now awaits action by the House as early as Thursday. -- washingtonpost.com "Political News Alert" sent out today ("Senate passes tax package") Okay, it's not a done deal. As the second half of the head on the click-through story reports, "House Dems weigh amending Estate Tax." And the story notes: Despite the lopsided tally, many lawmakers were lukewarm about port...

Tax Compromise Heads Toward Make-or-Break Vote in House
Thursday, December 16, 2010 By Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., walks near the floor of the Senate during the vote on tax Legislation on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010. (AP Photo) Washington (AP) - A massive tax package that would save millions of Americans thousands of dollars in higher taxes is headed for a vote in the House Thursday even as rebellious Democrats complain it is too generous to the wealthy. House Democratic leaders plan to pass the bill Thursday. But ...

Showdown Over Estate Tax Threatens Tax-Cut Compromise
With less than two weeks left until the Bush Tax Cuts are scheduled to expire, the House of Representatives will vote Thursday on a Compromise package negotiated between President Obama and Senate Republicans to temporarily extend current Tax Rates, while also extending Unemployment Benefits for 13 months. But not before voting on an amendment to the package that could unravel the entire deal. Although the Senate passed the Compromise measure by a vote of 81 to 19 on Wednesday, House Democrats h...

The Plum Line: House liberal admits tax-deal passage likely
In another sign that Obama's Tax Cut deal seems likely to pass into law over liberal opposition, a top House progressive who opposes the Compromise conceded in an interview that it's likely to pass the House pretty much as is, and predicted it could get the support of scores of Democrats. Raul Grijalva, one of the deal's most outspoken opponents, told me just after the Senate overwhelmingly passed the tax deal this afternoon that he personally was not conceding defeat. He said his opposition ...

Weiner and Cummings Expect Senate Tax Bill to Pass House
In an interview with Fox News outside Thursday's Democratic Caucus meeting, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) says he expects the tax agreement passed overwhelmingly by the Senate Wednesday to also pass in the House. Weiner opposes the bill and is unclear if there are votes for the an alternate plan put forth by North Dakota Democrat Earl Pomeroy that makes changes to Estate Tax rates. However, Weiner says that the original bill seems to be on a glide path to passage. "It's pretty clear the handwriting...

Tax showdown in House today
A massive tax package that would save millions of Americans thousands of dollars in higher taxes is headed for a vote in the House Thursday even as rebellious Democrats complain it is too generous to the wealthy. House Democratic leaders plan to pass the bill Thursday. But first, they will hold a vote on imposing a higher Estate Tax than the one negotiated by President Barack Obama. The Senate overwhelmingly passed the package Wednesday, with broad Bipartisan support. Now, Obama is urging the Ho...

Tax deal would pass House with no change -Democrat
WASHINGTON Dec 16 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's tax deal with congressional Republicans will pass the House of Representatives whether or not Democrats opposed to the Compromise are able to amend it, a senior House Democrat predicted on Thursday. Representative Chris Van Hollen told MSNBC an amendment to alter the deal's Estate Tax provision has "a decent shot" of succeeding in the House. That would force the Compromise back to the Senate for reconsideration. But Van Hollen added: "I thin...

Tax package heads toward high stakes vote in House
WASHINGTON (AP) - A massive tax package that would save millions of Americans thousands of dollars in higher taxes is headed for a vote in the House Thursday even as rebellious Democrats complain it is too generous to the wealthy. House Democratic leaders plan to pass the bill Thursday. But first, they will hold a vote on imposing a higher Estate Tax than the one negotiated by President Barack Obama. The Senate overwhelmingly passed the package Wednesday, with broad Bipartisan support. Now, Ob...

Coffee-Spewing Morning Thread
There’s nothing like starting the morning off with some laughter and giggles. As these examples prove, the best laughs come from material that’s topped with a big dollop of truth, as you’ll see below in renegade Rep. Pete DeFazio’s shattering revelation about what a desperate Obama is telling House Democrats and how Obama, yet again, in blinking first, has further (and unnecessarily) jeopardized Social Security. (This is a video/transcript that you will want to send to a...

Profile: Earl Pomeroys One Last Shot
By Patrick O'Connor This isn’t the send-off Rep. Earl Pomeroy wanted. The North Dakota Democrat, who lost re-election last month after 18 years in the House, finds himself in a rare position of prominence for a lame-duck lawmaker. But it looks like he’ll come out on the losing end – again. In what many consider a futile Protest, House Democrats vote Thursday on Legislation written by Mr. Pomeroy to set the Estate Tax at 45% for any inheritance that exceeds $3.5 million. The measure comes to

Fresh Face, New Focus for House Democrats
Tennessee Democrats need to make the political moves necessary to reserve a seat for themselves at the legislative table next year. Otherwise, they may find they’re on the menu. That’s what Rep. Craig Fitzhugh said shortly before the House Democratic Caucus voted that he lead them through the next two years in a Legislature controlled by a nearly two-thirds Republican majority. “We can’t win all the battles anymore. But we can certainly fight the fight,” said the 60...

The Estate Tax Is All But Dead
The House battle over President Obama's tax deal with Republicans may hinge on a passionate fight between Democrats and Republicans over whether to preserve a small piece of the Estate Tax on inherited wealth. But for all the heat, the battle has for practical purposes been over for a long time. Even though Republicans warn that the tax will force families to sell their businesses and farms, and Democrats are venting about extending a costly Tax Break for the rich, the gap is almost invisibly s...

Dem: Obama says failure on tax deal would mean end of his presidency
Stumble This! A Democratic lawmaker said President Barack Obama is warning members of his party that failure on the tax deal would doom his presidency, igniting plenty of chatter while earning a staunch rebuke from the White House. Rep. Peter Defazio (D-OR) said Wednesday on CNN the president is furiously making phone calls to whip up support for the Tax Cut Compromise struck he struck with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. "The White House is putting on tremendous pressure, making phon...

Obama's $858 billion tax-cut plan heads to the House (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A deal that President Barack Obama struck with Republicans to extend Tax Cuts for nearly every working American and spur job growth moves to the House of Representatives for passage as early as Thursday. Many of Obama's fellow Democrats in that chamber strongly oppose the measure as favoring the wealthy, and are still angry with him for cutting the deal with Republicans without them. "We have a situation where we have a proposal before us that gives 6,600 ...

Today's Power Play: House Dems Seek Slim Solace; Omnibusted; No Surprises in Afghan Plan; Assange Charged as Accessory?
Chris Stirewalt's Power Play is available for a limited time on the America's Election HQ blog. Check back for updates on new subscription offers for app users. "If they change the estate-tax language, the deal is off." -- Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) talking to reporters about the tax Compromise vote in the House today. If "moral victory" is another term for defeat, then House Democrats are getting ready for brutal moral victory today. The Senate passed, word for word, a Compromise deal cut between t...

Tax deal up for vote in House
Published: Dec. 16, 2010 at 7:48 AM "Now I think some of those same members are focusing on the reality that it would be a mistake not to pass a bill and let taxes go up in January," Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., told Politico. "It would be an embarrassment to do that if the Democrats brought the bill down, it would hurt the president, who negotiated the Legislation." UPI/Jim Ruymen WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The battle of the tax package brokered by President Obama and cong...

Obama: Vote for Tax Deal or Destroy My Presidency? (The Atlantic Wire)
WASHINGTON, DC – President Obama told Democrats that if they don't vote for the tax deal, they'll "end his presidency," according to Rep. Peter Defazio. DeFazio told CNN that the "White House is putting on tremendous pressure" to convince reluctant lawmakers to support the Compromise, which extends the Bush Tax Cuts for two years, extends Unemployment Benefits for 13 months, and, most offensive to Progressives, significantly lowers the Estate Tax. Obama reportedly used the grim prospect ...

Barney Frank: Tax Deal Will Pass As Is Because 'Cutting Taxes Is Always Popular'
WASHINGTON -- House Democratic leaders and prominent party members have grown resigned to the fact that, despite their howls of discontent, the tax deal crafted by President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans will pass as is. On Thursday morning, House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) became the latest member to bend to the emerging consensus. "You think this bill is going to eventually pass though the way it is, pretty much?" he was asked during an appearance on the ...

Tea Party Pressures G.O.P. to Reject Tax Cut Bill
WASHINGTON — Republicans are under pressure from the Tea Party movement and some other Conservatives to reject the Compromise tax bill, potentially complicating its passage and highlighting how the Republican Party is likely to face a persistent rightward push when it takes control of the House next month. The latest on President Obama, the new Congress and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion. A group called the Tea Party Patriots circulated a petition th...

House Democrats Set Vote on Estate Tax, Tax-Cut Extension Bill for Today
The U.S. House is poised to vote today on a Compromise between President Barack Obama and Republicans to extend Bush-era Tax Cuts, with a dispute over the federal Estate Tax looming as the final hurdle....

House repeals DADT, Senate passes tax deal, votes to debate New START Treaty
Legislators took three key votes on Wednesday that will help pave the way for passage of some of President Barack Obama and the Democrats’ lame-duck priorities. In the House of Representatives, congressional members voted on a stand-alone provision to Repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. In May the House passed a Repeal of the Clinton-era ban on gays and Lesbians openly serving in the Military when it was attached to the lower chamber’s version of the 20...

Senate OKs tax bill; House to vote Thursday
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday approved the $858 billion tax plan negotiated by the White House and Republican leaders, and House Democrats said they expected to pass the bill Thursday after a final, seemingly futile effort to change a provision that benefits wealthy estates. The Senate vote was 81-19 as Democrats yielded in their long push to end the Bush-era Tax Rates for high-income Taxpayers. Republicans agreed to back a huge stimulus package, including an extension of jobless ...