WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner says he opposes a Senate-approved bill extending a payroll tax cut and jobless benefits for just two months and wants congressional bargainers to write a new measure that would last an entire year.
The Ohio Republican said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that the Senate's two-month bill would be "kicking the can down the road." He mentioned items in the House version of the bill that were not in the Senate legislation, including restrictions on Obama administration curbs on industrial pollution.
Boehner's comments came a day after the Senate easily approved a compromise payroll tax cut bill. But in a conference call among House Republicans later Saturday, many complained bitterly about the $33 billion Senate bill, saying it lacked serious spending cuts.
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