travel problems as well. this batch of cold air, ke kyra colder than last week and florida will be feeling it tonight. unless congress comes up with a deal by the even of the week, your taxes go up december 31st. the senate votes on the tax bill, but not all democrats are on board. what s the biggest steking point? the estate tax provision. they feel it only helps the wealthiest americans. the congressional budget says it will add $9 billion to the deficit over the next few years. but senator dick durbin says it s time to move forward. what we can seize on today is something that will help working families, the only stimulus we can bring to this economy. we need to work together to pass it and hope that this economy gets well. i think this president is going to come back and be strong with the house democratic caucus even after the next the swearing in that s going to occur january
well, the senate still has to take a final vote. and we believe that is going to happen as soon as tomorrow. one of the open questions procedurally is going to be whether or not the senate will actually debate any amendments to this tax cut package we re talking $858 billion, of course, that would extend all the bush-era tax cuts for two years, give unemployment benefits, extend those for 13 months. it would have an estate tax provision, which is pretty controversial among democrats, and a whole host of other tax measures in this bill. so it is a very thick measure, very thick piece of legislation, and it is the subject as we ve been talking about for some time of pretty interesting and intense negotiations, primarily between the white house, specifically at the end, the vice president joe biden and senate republicans. this is really evidence of a new time in washington if this is happening. and especially, if you look at the vote on the senate floor, the fact that the only no votes
and vote on the bill as it stands and let the senate strip the estate tax provision and everyone can go home and do their other business. that is a choice they have here. shepard: that estate tax provision has been for a couple of decades, a sticking point between the left and the right. what the left is saying, if you, when you get this money, if you won the lottery you would pay income tax. if you had under any circumstances, but someone in the family dying, you would pay a tax on this and the democrats say you need to pay a tax and they say 35 is not high enough. some want 55 percent. reporter: they have come down do 45 percent. it is a general proposition, democrats want a higher estate tass on more estates, and republicans want lower on fewer estates. so it is a compromise on both sides and many republicans think there should not be an estate tax whatever. so they have come up to accept something. it is odd this is the sticking point because it is not the big
this legislation weren t to go into effect until 2014, so there s time to work this through. what gives the white house confidence that ultimately it will prevail? if this case continues to go on. well, i think, and i m certainly not a lawyer in terms of the legal arguments that underpinned the briefs, but i would say that challenges like this are nothing new in terms of laws that have come before the courts in the past, in which in which our position has prevailed. we re confident that it is constitutional, and quite frankly of the three courts that have rendered decisions on this question, two have ruled in our favor. real quick question on the tax deal. democrats in the house are talking of targeting the estate tax provision that they re unhappy with and may be dealing with that in an amendment or legislatively trying to change
tax package to the floor of the house, maybe by the end of the week, with at least one amendment to change the estate tax provision. that s what democrats really are the most angry about, about fact that they believe it s way too generous to people who are wealthy in a time that is really unnecessary. they re going to try to change it. if they do, the package will have to go back to the senate. that is something that the white house is definitely trying to avoid in the house. 83-15, that s the official final vote on the floor of the u.s. senate. as you point out, overwhelming support. we don t have a day when the house is going to take it up yet. is that right? that s correct. we still have to see the final vote in the senate. that s going to come as early as tomorrow. you see dick durbinen there on the floor. it s going to happen pretty soon. it s just it s all but over in the senate. house democratic leaders say