House Votes to Extend Bush Tax Cuts for All

Congressional leaders have launched more partisan back-and-forth on the way to the edge of the fiscal cliff. The House, voting largely along party lines, has approved a one-year extension of all the Bush tax cuts due to expire in January, reports the New York Times. The plan passed 256-171, with 20 Democrats joining Republicans in voting for it. The House rejected a rival Senate plan that would let the tax cuts expire for the richest Americans by a similar margin, and the House plan has no chance of passing the Senate. Both plans are seen as political point-scoring by leaders of both parties instead of a serious effort to reach a deal before the cuts expire. (More fiscal cliff stories.)