unemployment benefits extension, which is, well, they want to, a, reduce it from 99 to 59 weeks. they want to allow states to require drug testing. they want to search and enroll in ged programs. and they want toing forbid benefit cards from being used at liquor stores, casinos, and strip clubs, which on its surface you could argue for. but folks like the state of nevada representatives said part-time workers work in casinos. that s where there are atm machines. liquor stores have atm machines. the one thing in there if i were a democrat i would agree to is if your state can find you a job and you turn it down then you lose your unemployment benefits. that s fine. that s reasonable. the other stuff is just hooey. drug testing? the drug tests and the casinos is a nice sort of combination pack there in terms of like really aiming at you who want to have these benefits. i think it s aiming your gun squarely at it s a cultural indictment of the people who are
jong-il pnd and another toddler goes missing. what are they doing to find her? let s go out front. we re waying for the house to waiting for the house to vote on the payroll tax cut bill. the vote too should take place later tonight. you re going to see the house republican leadership come out in a few moments. we anticipate to make a statement. john payner speaker will be there and we will also hear from eric cantor, jeb hensarling. as we count down to that, let s tell where you we stand. the version of the bill under consideration tonight is the senate version. it extends the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for two months. now, they re paying for this by having fannie mae and freddie mac charge higher fees on new mortgages, so it is paid for. what s the hold snup the bill only stepds textends the tax br two months. that s a real kick the can down solution and it frustrate as lot of people on both sides of the i ll. but enough so for the gop leadership that they
maryland democratic congressman chris van holen joins me now. if this is the price for getting the payroll tax holiday extension and unemployment benefits extension, this key stone pipeline which does have opposition in your party but also some support, is that too high a price? well, chuck, let s remember where the republicans were a week ago. first they were totally against the payroll tax cut. even though they pushed really hard for tax breaks for the folks at the top, they were willing for several weeks now to say we re going to increase taxes on 160 million americans. now after the president made very clear that he would not take any kind of bill that attached extraneous issues, the republicans decide to put that on anyway. what they are trying to do what they wanted all along, which was
tax cuts for the wealthy and cut it out here for the underclass. probably going to get that deal, probably not an expaennsi. straight deal. unemployment benefits extension might not be part of that. presidential race. both of you served with newt gingrich. you came in class of 94. he made me subcommittee chairman first term. that was the whole idea to bring in the new blood. i was elected the same year in 78. the same year newt was elected. he lost three times before he got there. third time, lose twice. tom davis, why, you pointed this out. so, why hasn t a single member of the class of 94 endorsed newt gingrich? most people are just hanging back in general. if you look back at members of congress and members they endorse. they re all kind of hanging back. i think the republicans had a lot of members are, a, worried about newt strong republican base, can they win a general. he tends to lag behind in the
workers cheaper? will we get an unemployment benefits extension, which they ve always fought. will we get infrastructure. what s it going to be, howard? what gets through after this? well, i think payroll tax, probably. i think they ve got to do it, having cut it twice, they ve got to do it again. otherwise, you know, we could be tipped back into a second recession, because of cuts and consumer spending and consumer confidence. that s probably not wuumber one. after that, who knows? i don t know what else will get passed. and the question you asked is the right one, chris. this isn t something that is going to do much more than preserve the status quo. extend unemployment benefits, continue a payroll tax cut. yes, the infrastructure piece is a big piece, but i seriously doubt that the president s going to have the muscle to get that through. yeah, i wonder if this administration is the last one for president obama, will he look back and say, i tried to do too much on jobs, or i did