House Passes Obama's Tax Cut, Democrats Threaten to Kill It

◼ Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.–Nev.) has vowed to kill the bill and President Barack Obama issued a veto threat just hours before the House vote. - Audrey Hudson/Human Events

If Congress fails to act on the tax cut before leaving Washington this week, most Americans will see $20 missing from their weekly paycheck, and unemployed workers face a loss of some benefits.

President Obama is demanding Congress forgo their Christmas holiday and stay in town to pass a tax cut measure he will support, and White House officials are threatening a veto on the separate government spending bill needed to keep federal agencies operating past Friday until the tax cut is passed.

The controversial measure includes a demand on Obama to make a yes or no decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, an issue that has divided Democrat supporters in the green community who claim it will hurt the environment, and unions who want the 20,000 jobs created by the project.

“The president is going to have to decide, can he wait to create American jobs or can he not wait to run against us?” said Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R.–Texas), chairman of the Republican Conference. “It’s Christmas time, let’s deliver to the American people a jobs bill.”

◼ Republicans push payroll tax cut bill through House, despite White House veto threat - AP/Washington Post