John Boehner., We’re here. We’re ready to go to work to Extend Full-Year Payroll Tax Relief VIDEO

Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) met with the eight House Republican negotiators appointed to work with Senate Democrats on extending payroll tax relief for a full year. Boehner said Senate Democrats should appoint negotiators too and help prevent a tax hike on middle class families -- without hurting small business job creators, as the short-term Senate bill would do:

Last week, the House passed a bipartisan bill extending payroll tax relief for a full year. The bill reformed and extended unemployment insurance for a full year, protected Social Security, and would help create new jobs as well. After Senate Democrats passed a short-term two month bill, the House voted to start negotiating with the Senate now so this important matter could be resolved before the end of the year.

Unfortunately, Senate Democrats have so far refused to appoint negotiators. As Speaker Boehner wrote this morning in USA Today, “We hope the president, who has repeatedly said he won't go on vacation until this matter is resolved, will urge Senate Democrats to change their minds.”

BOEHNER: “Yesterday the House voted to reject the Senate bill and ask for a conference with the Senate where we could resolve the differences between the two houses. I’ve appointed the eight men and women sitting here with the Majority Leader and I to be our negotiators. We’re here. We’re ready to go to work. And we’re hoping that Senate Democrats will appoint negotiators, come to the table, and resolve these differences. I think it’s important to note that the president, bipartisan leaders in the House and bipartisan leaders in the Senate, have all really asked for the same thing over the course of the last several months: let’s extend the payroll tax credit for a year. And all we’re asking for is to get the Senate members over here to work with us to resolve our differences so we can do what everybody wants to do: extend the payroll tax credit for the next year. I’m hoping that they’re ready to work as we are.”

TEXT CREDIT: John Boehner | speaker.gov H-232 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-0600 F (202) 225-5117

VIDEO CREDIT: JohnBoehner