House Speaker John Boehner phoned President Obama on Thursday morning to request that the president dispatch his economic team to Capitol Hill to negotiate a full-year extension of the payroll-tax holiday, according to Boehner’s office. The president said no.
"The speaker explained his concern that flaws in the Senate-passed bill will be unworkable for many small business job creators," an aide to the Ohio Republican said. "The president declined the speaker’s offer.”
According to the White House, Obama repeated on the phone call his belief that the “only viable option currently on the table” to prevent a tax increase for 160 million American workers is the Senate-passed, two-month extension. But Obama pledged to work with the House on a full-year extension once the Senate package is approved.
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