This morning in a pro forma session of the House, they agreed by unanimous consent to the compromise payroll tax holiday extension. With a majority of members out of town for the Christmas holiday, there were not enough members for a roll-call vote. This bill also extends unemployment insurance and instructs the President to announce his decision on the keystone pipeline in the next couple of months
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) held a late-afternoon news conference Thursday to announce he and Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) had come to an agreement, saying he thought the one-year extension provided "more certainty for job creators" but that he felt that House and Senate negotiators would be able to work out a longer deal in the coming weeks. He also emphasized the provisions of the agreement relating to the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) responded to the GOP announcement with a statement that read, in part: "I am grateful that the voices of reason have prevailed and Speaker Boehner has agreed to pass the Senate’s bipartisan compromise. Year-long extensions of the payroll tax cut, unemployment insurance and Medicare payments for physicians has always been our goal, and Democrats will not rest until we have passed them."