[The Hill] Democrats in the Senate will push a plan this week to extend an expiring payroll tax cut, making up the lost revenue by imposing a surtax on Americans earning more than one million dollar, Sen. Chuck SchumerSenator-for-life from New York, renowned for his love of standing in front of cameras. Schumer has been a professional politician since 1975, when disco was in flower.
said on Sunday.
"The first thing we're going to do when we get back this week is put the payroll tax holiday on the floor in the Senate," said Schumer (N.Y.), the number three Democrat in the Senate on NBC's Meet the Press.
Republicans have expressed a willingness to extend the tax cut put in place under President B.O., but want other parts of the budget cut to offset the cost -- not a new tax imposed on the people they argue create the most jobs.
But forcing Republicans to vote against lower taxes for middle-class Americans in order to protect the tax rates for wealthier Americans allows Democrats to draw a clear line in the sand that they believe they can use to frame the argument against Republicans in 2012.
"If it doesn't pass once, we're going to put it on the floor again and again," Schumer said.