Payroll Tax Fight Beginning To Frustrate Obama

President Obama appeared visibly annoyed on Thursday, chiding House Republicans for refusing to get behind a temporary payroll tax cut extension passed by the Senate this past weekend.

Surrounded at the podium by a handful of individuals who would benefit from a continuation of the current tax holiday, Obama struck an incredulous tone as he lamented the ongoing impasse that threatens to end the tax relief at the end of the year.

“What’s happening right now is exactly why people just get so frustrated with Washington,” the President said. “This isn’t a typical Democratic-versus-Republican issue. This is an issue where an overwhelming number of people in both parties agree. How can we not get that done? I mean, has this place become so dysfunctional that even when people agree to things we can’t do it? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Enough is enough,” he added.

WATCH: Obama Calls On House To OK Temporary Payroll Extension

President Obama made a surprise appearance in front of White House reporters today to urge House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the rest of his conference to quickly approve a Senate bill to extend the current payroll tax holiday for another two months.

Obama unexpectedly entered the briefing room to interrupt his top spokesman, Jay Carney, and send a direct message to Boehner and other House leaders.

“I need the Speaker and House Republicans to…put politics aside. Put aside issues where there are fundamental disagreements and come together on something we agree on. And let’s not play brinksmanship. The American people are weary of it. They’re tired of it. They expect better. I’m calling on the Speaker and the House Republican leadership to bring up the Senate bill for a vote.”

“Right now the bipartisan compromise that was reached on Saturday is the only viable way to prevent a tax hike,” Obama added.

Just a short while before Obama made his remarks, the House voted to move to conference on a measure it passed last week to extend the two percent tax cut for one whole year. The vote essentially served as a rejection of the temporary extension, which the Senate passed on Saturday by a vote of 89-10.

Though Boehner has already appointed eight conferees, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has yet to do the same. When asked whether Obama would lean on Reid to follow suit, Carney replied, “the House oughtta pass the [Senate] measure.”

Later, when asked why leaders don’t take a few days off from negotiations and re-visit the issue next week, Carney replied, “there is a very easy solution here, pass the Senate bill.”

White House Beckons GOP To Pass Temporary Payroll Measure

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Monday that House Republicans should quickly agree to a two-month extension of the current payroll tax holiday.

The Senate passed the bill overwhelmingly on Saturday, but House GOP leaders have since made clear that they will oppose the bill in a vote this evening.

Once they formally reject the Senate plan, lower chamber Republicans are expected to reaffirm support for a measure to extend the two percent tax cut for working Americans by a full year. The bill, which the House passed last week, also contains an extension of unemployment benefits and cancels a soon-to-take-effect scheduled cut to reimbursement payments to doctors who accept Medicare.

The White House last week threatened to veto the GOP plan due to the fact that it contained an add-on regarding the Keystone XL pipleline. Interestingly, the Senate’s version, which Obama blessed after it was passed on Saturday, did not omit the the Keystone language.

During his briefing today, Carney was asked whether President Obama was surprised to learn that House Republicans are not on board with the temporary extension.

“It was certainly our expectation…that there was support in the House for a measure that would ensure that Americans didn’t have their taxes go up in twelve days,” he said.

Carney also noted that prior to announcing his opposition to the plan during a television appearance yesterday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) had urged rank-and-file members of his party to accept the Senate bill.

No Payroll Tax Cut Deal Yet

Not so fast.

Just when it looked like Congress would agree to a two-month extension of the current payroll tax holiday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) yesterday threw cold water on the plan.

During an appearance on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ Boehner said “It is pretty clear that I, and our members, oppose the Senate bill.”

Though the Senate voted 89-10 on Saturday to approve the measure, rank-and-file House Republicans reportedly leaned on Boehner and other GOP leaders to oppose the bill, and instead hold out for a full, one-year extension.

Last week, the House did, indeed, pass a full extension, but White House threatened to veto it because it included language that would have forced the administration to issue or reject a construction permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline within 60 days.

But President Obama announced Saturday afternoon that he would begrudgingly support the Senate bill, which does include the Keystone rider.

It was assumed, perhaps wrongfully, that the House would sign off on the bill when it returned to session today. Now, the bill appears headed for failure when it is voted on this evening.

“I believe that two months is just kicking the can down the road,” Boehner said yesterday. “The American people are tired of that. Frankly, I’m tired of it.”

VIDEO: Obama Satisfied With Payroll Tax Cut Agreement

President Obama today acknowledged Senate lawmakers for passing a two-month extension of the current payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits.

In a statement at the White House, Obama said he was “very pleased to see the work that the Senate has done.”

The President challenged Congress to quickly pass a full-year extension of both measures when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill in the new year.

“While this agreement is for two months, it is my expectation — in fact it would be inexcusable for Congress not to further extend this middle-class tax cut for the rest of the year. It should be a formality. And hopefully it’s done with as little drama as possible when they get back in January.”

Though he failed to convince Congress to offset the cost of the measure by raising taxes on the wealthy, Obama said that he remains committed to asking “the wealthiest few Americans to pay their fair share and corporations to do without special taxpayer subsidies to cover some of the costs.”

The president told reporters that he thanked both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and his GOP counterpart, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for coming together to reach a deal.

With the 2012 budget and the payroll tax cut extension behind him (for now), Obama is expected to depart Washington soon to join the rest of his family for its annual holiday vacation in Hawaii.