Statement by Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX 10) on today's vote on the payroll tax bill:

"American families deserve the certainty of a full one-year extension of the payroll tax cut. The Senate plan fails to reach this goal and simply won’t work. Just days ago, President Obama himself said it would be 'inexcusable for Congress not to further extend the middle class tax cut for the rest of the year.' That is exactly what the House has voted to do.

"The House-approved bill ensures that those earning $50,000 a year would have $1,000 more in their pockets in 2012. The Senate bill falls $800 short of this. The House bill protects seniors’ health care for the next two years by ensuring that doctors in the Medicare program don’t have their payments cut. The Senate bill only provides protections for two months. The House bill provides a pay freeze for members of Congress and federal employees. The Senate bill does not. The House bill provides tax cuts for job creators. The Senate bill left them out.

"There is no reason, except for pure politics, for the Senate to go with a two month extension. It is time to stop playing games with the paychecks of American taxpayers and return some fiscal sanity to our great country. The House did the right thing today, and it’s time for the Senate to follow suit and pass a bill that provides certainty for a prosperous 2012."

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