WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tucked in his left breast-coat pocket where he can pull it out to wave before TV cameras is ammunition that House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner believes his Republicans can use to achieve victory in the November 6 elections.

It is a four-by-eight-inch card detailing more than two dozen “jobs bills” passed by the Republican-led House last year. They are now bottled up by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, one of President Barack Obama’s top allies on Capitol Hill.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – John Boehner says he learned how to deal with all sorts of people working as a boy in his dad’s bar. That skill came in handy this week in Congress, but not all left happy.

With his willingness to bargain, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives won passage on Friday of the economically important payroll tax-cut extension. But he lost a hefty block of Republicans who may end up determining his political fate.

WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. Congress on
Friday passed legislation extending a tax cut for 160 million
workers through December and continuing long-term jobless
benefits, handing President Barack Obama a major victory in this
election year.

In two quick bipartisan votes, the House of Representatives
passed the measure 293-132, and minutes later the Senate passed
it 60-36.

WASHINGTON, Feb 16 (Reuters) – A payroll tax cut for
160 million Americans, set to expire at the end of this month,
would be extended through December under a bipartisan deal
announced early on Thursday by U.S. congressional leaders.

The accord would also renew expiring jobless benefits for
millions of others and prevent a pay cut for doctors of elderly
Medicare patients.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Negotiators on Wednesday reached a sweeping tax cut deal that provides a victory to President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats in Congress and frees Republicans of an issue that threatened to stalk them to the November elections.

“The deal is done,” a top Republican aide said after the main negotiators from both parties worked out their remaining differences. A senior Democratic aide said the top negotiators had finished their work.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday reached a sweeping tax cut deal that provides a victory to Democrats and frees Republicans of an issue that threatened to stalk them to the November elections.

“The deal is done,” a top Republican aide said after the main negotiators from both parties worked out their remaining differences. A senior Democratic aide said the top negotiators had finished their work.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Congressional negotiators on Wednesday worked to finish details on a comprehensive payroll tax cut deal that would give Democrats a rare victory and free Republicans of an issue that threatened to stalk them to the November elections.

If no last-minute problems arise, the House of Representatives and Senate were expected to vote by the end of this week to extend President Barack Obama’s tax cut for 160 million workers through December 31.

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (Reuters) – U.S. congressional
negotiators on Wednesday worked to finish details on a
comprehensive payroll tax cut deal that would give Democrats a
rare victory and free Republicans of an issue that threatened to
stalk them to the November elections.

If no last-minute problems arise, the House of
Representatives and Senate were expected to vote by the end of
this week to extend President Barack Obama’s tax cut for 160
million workers through Dec. 31.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In a surprise about-face, Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives dropped their demand on Monday for spending cuts to offset the costs of extending a soon-to-expire payroll tax cut for 160 million workers.

The Republican offer represented a potential breakthrough in deadlocked negotiations with Democrats but it could draw fire from budget-slashing conservatives within the party who are staunchly opposed to adding to a trillion-plus deficit.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will seek billions of dollars for jobs and infrastructure in his 2013 budget, an appeal to voters that draws election-year battle lines over taxes and spending as Republicans slammed him for “debt, doubt and decline.”

Obama’s budget proposal, which he will submit to Congress on Monday, will project a much smaller deficit in 2013 compared with this year, White House officials said on Friday.