President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner are now going toe to toe with regards to the extension of the payroll tax cut. The House passed a Republican-approved measure that called for more negotiations. Boehner urged the president to tell the Senate to participate in the discussions. Obama Boehner

The Senate leadership doesn’t want to go back from their holiday break and President Obama agreed with them. He told the reporters that the House must approve the two-month extension that was passed in the Senate.

The House bill that was passed last Tuesday didn’t get any support from the Democrats. It was approved with a 229 to 193 vote, which expressed the House’s disagreement with the Senate proposal and called for more talks by the House0Senate conference committee.

Boehner and the Republican leadership stopped a direct vote on the Senate’s proposal of a two-month extension on the payroll tax break. This could mean that they lack the support of the GOP to defeat it as the White House, Democrats and some Senate Republicans are pressuring them to approve the compromise deal.

The House passed a different resolution that supports a yearlong extension of the payroll tax cut and emergency federal unemployment benefits. They are also pushing for a two year doc fix, which would delay the scheduled pay cuts to Medicare physicians.