The GOP statement came after intense talks this weekend failed to produce an agreement. Republicans were pressing for pay cuts for federal workers and requiring them to contribute more to their pensions. They recoiled at a Democratic proposal to raise Transportation Security Administration per-ticket airline security fees.
“Democrats’ refusal to agree to any spending cuts in the conference committee has made it necessary for us to prepare this fallback option to protect small business job creators and ensure taxes don’t go up on middle-class workers,’’ the GOP leadership statement said.
Without action by Congress by the end of the month, payroll taxes will rise for 160 million Americans. The 2 percentage point tax cut delivers about $20 a week to a worker making $50,000 a year and a tax cut totaling $2,000 this year for someone making a $100,000 salary.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
White House raps Senate measure on contraception
WASHINGTON - The White House said yesterday that legislation in the Senate that would give employers broad leeway to restrict coverage for contraception is “dangerous and wrong.’’
Press secretary Jay Carney took aim at legislation by Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida - a possible GOP vice presidential candidate - and Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia, that would allow any employer to deny birth control coverage if it runs counter to their religious or moral beliefs.
Another bill, by Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, would go further by allowing health plans to deny coverage for any service that violates their beliefs.
Both approaches are far more expansive than allowing conscience protections just for churches and church-affiliated employers.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Santorum, Romney running neck-and-neck in new poll
Rick Santorum has surged into a virtual tie with Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential race, according to a national poll released yesterday by the Pew Research Center.
The poll found Santorum with a slight edge over Romney among Republican-leaning voters, 30 percent to 28 percent. That represents a major reversal from just last month, when Romney led Santorum by 17 points.
Newt Gingrich came in a distant third in the poll with 17 percent, followed by Ron Paul with 12 percent.
The poll was conducted Feb. 8-12, and probably reflected the surge of attention Santorum got after he won three nonbinding contests in Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado last week.
The poll of 1,501 adults and has a margin of error of between 3 and 7 percentage points, depending on sample size used for each question.
