This is obstructionism at its worst.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) tried to bring up the House-passed payroll-tax bill for a vote with the intention of summarily rejecting it, but Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) objected. McConnell pushed for the Senate to first vote on an omnibus spending bill that would fund much of the federal government through 2012 and avert a shutdown after Friday night.
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The two leaders ended their exchange with no immediate path forward. McConnell urged Reid to negotiate with Boehner, but Reid said “the Speaker can’t negotiate with me until this bill is killed” — referring to the payroll-tax measure.
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Daniel McAndrew 