Pair of House Republicans say GOP should pass two-month payroll extension

{mosads}“We are now in a position that requires all options to be on the table, that requires Republicans to not only demand a willingness to compromise, but to offer it as well,” Crawford wrote in a letter to Boehner. “More often than not an ‘all or nothing’ attitude produces nothing. An ‘all or nothing’ attitude is not what my constituents need now. My constituents need a Congress that is willing to put all options on the table, even those that are not yearlong plans, to avoid higher taxes on more than 160 million Americans.”

Mounting pressure from Republican rank and file — and prominent conservative voices like former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove and the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal — could force House leadership to strike a compromise deal in which they would pass the temporary extension.

Duffy said that he agreed with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that Republican leadership should bring up the two-month extension for an up-or-down vote.

“I’ve said all along I’d be willing to support a two-month payroll tax cut extension if that was our only option,” Duffy said in a statement. “The Senate’s refusal to work with the House to hammer out the differences in our bills before Christmas has left us with few other options. … That’s why today I’m calling on GOP Leadership to immediately bring up the Senate’s two-month extension for an up or down vote. Middle class families deserve a Congress that will rise above the squabbling and ensure their taxes don’t go up right after Christmas.”

Crawford too pointed to his constituents, maintaining they were unhappy that Congress could not strike a deal.

“My constituents in Arkansas’s First District are angry and they don’t understand why Congress cannot sit down, hammer out our differences, and come up with a solution we can all support,” wrote Crawford. “My constituents are honest, hard-working people who deserve a Congress that will put partisan politics aside in favor of the greater good.”