Much of last year’s agenda focused on slashing spending ahead of critical deadlines, with the looming possibility of government shutdowns or default. Now, the government is funded for the rest of the year and the Treasury has enough borrowing authority to go into 2013, avoiding do-or-die drama in this year’s debates.
Republicans have expressed little desire to relive the fractured finale to December’s payroll-tax negotiations, which ended with the Senate approving a two-month extension of the holiday and the House initially rejecting that, before Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) forced his boisterous conference to accept the deal.
Boehner’s agenda will focus on promoting energy production and trying to ease regulations for oil and gas exploration, then funneling projected increased revenue from that growth into highway and infrastructure projects.
House Republicans are anticipating objections from Senate Democrats and Obama, hoping at least to highlight the contrasts with voters before the elections.
“In short, the House will be relentlessly focused on the issue of jobs in 2012 — with or without the cooperation of Washington Democrats,” said Michael Steel, Boehner’s spokesman.
The payroll-holiday showdown, the last of a round of 2011 brinksmanship, ended with congressional Democrats in a stronger position, at least among their own supporters. This month, 67 percent of liberal Democrats approve of the way congressional Democrats are doing their jobs.
Congressional Republicans continue to struggle to win support from their base: Just 48 percent of conservative Republicans approve of the job their party’s representatives are doing.
With the Feb. 29 deadline approaching on the payroll tax holiday, Democrats and Republicans are less than $70 billion apart in agreeing on spending reductions or revenue increases for a full-year extension. The package also will include continuing unemployment benefits and preventing cuts in Medicare payments to doctors. According to aides in both parties, Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) would like to include about $30 billion in extensions for popular tax breaks, including the research and development credit, into the package including the payroll tax holiday.
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