Obama warns against add-ons to payroll tax cut

[alp227]

Source: Washington Post

President Obama warned Congress on Wednesday not to tie approval of a payroll tax cut to other sensitive measures such as the Keystone Pipeline project, which his administration delayed last month.

Speaking at a brief news conference after a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Obama said he would block any attempt by Congress to attach the payroll tax cut provision to another legislative measure.

“Any effort to try to tie Keystone to the payroll tax cut, I will reject,” Obama said. “Everybody should be on notice. The reason is because the payroll tax cut is something House Republicans and Senate Republicans should want to do regardless of any other issues.”

The tax cut “shouldn’t be held hostage to any other issues they may be concerned about,” Obama said. “My warning is not just related to Keystone. Efforts to tie a bunch of other issues to something they should do anyway will be rejected — by me.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-warns-congress-against-any-add-ons-to-payroll-tax-cut/2011/12/07/gIQAxyoTdO_story.html

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So Obama wants to pass the tax cut. But if signing that bill also activates the Keystone project he'll veto instead. Hmm. A positive sign?

[malthaussen]

1. A positive sign if he does what he says

Hypothetical unless and untill.

-- Mal

[CHIMO]

2. Obama denies politics is behind pipeline delay

Source: Ottawa Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON—U.S. President Barack Obama is denying that election-year politics played a role in Washington’s decision to delay approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

A decision on the project to ship Alberta oil sands crude across the Midwest to Texas refineries was expected by year’s end until Obama’s administration — under fire from environmentalists — said it would take more time to study alternate routes, possibly until after the 2012 presidential election.

But speaking at a news conference with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday, Obama insisted the project proposed by Canadian energy giant TransCanada was going through the required process.

He said the issue came up in his private Oval Office chat with Harper.



Read more: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1098677--obama-denies-politics-is-behind-pipeline-delay?bn=1

[bhikkhu]

3. You'd think, after the BP gulf disaster, he wouldn't have to defend prudence

I expect it to go through one way or another, but well-planned and well-regulated is much better than rushing something through. Which itself would be for political purposes, of course.