House Delays Payroll Tax-Cut Vote

Maybe they should rally behind Newt Gingrich, after all: House Republicans compared themselves to the Scots in Braveheart (a Gingrich favorite) Monday in a closed-door meeting as they vowed to defeat a payroll-tax extension. They delayed a Monday-night vote to Tuesday, but House Speaker John Boehner still predicted defeat for the two-month extension. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says, however, that the Senate will not reopen talks after passing the extension 89–10. Without the extension, the payroll tax will jump from 4.2 percent to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1, raising taxes by $1,000 on the average American family.