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By Alex Seitz-Wald
Despite their stated opposition to tax increases, Republican lawmakers have been largely cool or even hostile to a proposed extension of the temporary payroll tax cut, pushed by President Obama and Democrats. Finally, this week, Republicans seemed to relent as GOP congressional leaders publicly urged their caucuses to vote for an extension of the plan. The fact is that Republicans are doing everything we can to allow American families and small businesses to keep more of what they earn, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said this morning of efforts to whip GOP lawmakers to support an extension.
But in private, Boehner seems to hold a different view. Politico reports that in a closed-door GOP meeting this morning, Boehner referred to an extension of the payroll tax holiday as chicken-shit, saying he wanted to tack on unrelated legislation favored by Republicans to make it palatable:
GOP leadership told its membership at a closed-door meeting Friday morning it would couple with the expiring tax provisions an easing of environmental regulations on boilers, selling broadband spectrum and paving the way for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. [...]
Speaker John Boehner referred to the package hes putting forward as turning chicken-sh into chicken salad, according to people attending the meeting in the Capitol basement Friday morning.
More: After Signaling Support, John Boehner Calls Tax Break For Middle Class 'Chicken-Shit' | ThinkProgress
House GOP loads up year-end bill - Jake Sherman and Seung Min Kim - POLITICO.com
Why would you extend a break when it has not been effective?
Do you think SS will fund itself?