Obama to House: 'This Is About People'

President raises pressure for payroll tax cut
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 22, 2011 1:33 PM CST
Obama to House: 'This Is About People'
President Obama speaks at the White House, flanked by people who commented on Twitter about the payroll tax cut.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Obama tried to turn the screws a little tighter on House Republicans today by showcasing people who said they'd be hurt if the payroll tax cut fails to go through. He again used the $40 argument, the average amount people would lose from their paychecks, reports the AP. "Now there may be some folks in the House who refuse to vote for this compromise because they don't think 40 bucks is a lot of money," said Obama. "But anyone who knows how to stretch a budget knows that at the end of the week or the end of the month, $40 can make all the difference in the world."

Obama spoke after Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, called out House Republicans for balking at the two-month extension. "This is about people," said the president at his White House event. "How can we not get that done? Has this place become so dysfunctional that even when people agree to things we can't do it? It doesn't make any sense. Enough is enough." Not all the coverage is sympathetic on the 40-buck front: See here. (More President Obama stories.)

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