Congress Passes Payroll Tax Cut to End Political Standoff

 　　After a tense impasse¹ on Capitol Hill, lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives passed legislation to extend a payroll² tax cut for two months and continue unemployment insurance for nearly 2 million jobless Americans. The renewal³ comes just before the benefits were set to expire.

　　The political standoff came to an end Friday as Congress approved the measure, first in the Senate and then in the House of Representatives.

　　With many members already out of town for the holidays, the chambers⁴ approved the legislation in brief morning sessions. In the Republican-led House, the bill passed by unanimous consent. Speaker John Boehner presided over the meeting.

　　“Without objection, the bill is engrossed⁵, read for a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table,” said Boehner.

　　It was a quiet ending to a bitter political battle. For six days, Boehner and his fellow House Republicans had refused to approve Senate legislation that extended the payroll tax cut for two months. Boehner demanded that the Senate come back to work and negotiate a one-year extension.

　　But Senate Republicans, the White House and voters, angered at the prospect⁶ of a tax increase starting January 1, put unrelenting pressure on the House Republicans.

　　Late Thursday, they backed down, and agreed to the shorter extension. Boehner said his party fought hard and there were some technical changes to the Senate bill that they approved.

　　Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry⁷ Reid said negotiators from both chambers will work on a full-year extension after lawmakers return to Washington in January.

　　But Reid said he hopes Congress, especially the newer members, had a “very good learning experience” about how work gets done - by consensus⁸. Democrats⁹ had blamed Tea Party House Republicans for holding up the bill.

　　“People wonder why the approval rating of Congress is so low. I don’t wonder. It seems that everything we’ve done this last year has been a knockdown, drag out fight. There is no reason to do that,” said Reid.

　　House Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer hailed the agreement as a win for the country.

　　“This is a good day for the American people. The American people’s voice was heard. Their concerns were heard and we have responded,” said Hoyer.

　　President Barack Obama, who signed the bill into law Friday, said after the House action that more work needs to be done on taxes and efforts to improve the economy and reduce unemployment. He also said that Americans who called, e-mailed and used social media to push for the tax bill's passage had made a difference.

　　Had the bill not been passed, about 2 million Americans would have lost their unemployment insurance payments, and 160 million Americans would have seen their tax bills rise by an average of $1,000. The bill also stops a reduction in payments for doctors who treat patients under the Medicare government health program for the elderly.

1 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

2 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

3 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

4 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

5 engrossed   

adj.全神贯注的

参考例句：

• The student is engrossed in his book.这名学生正在专心致志地看书。
• No one had ever been quite so engrossed in an evening paper.没人会对一份晚报如此全神贯注。

6 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

7 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

8 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》