Dear Friend,

For those of you who are trying to figure out what all the last-minute payroll tax cut negotiations were about, here it is: 

Most of the issues Congress has been stuck on have been under consideration for months, if not years. For example, in the case of the "Doc Fix," it has been an issue for over ten years. The Medicare “Doc Fix” has to do with impeding cuts to the reimbursement rates that doctors get for the cost of your health care treatment if you are a Medicare patient. The Congress has been promising doctors we would correct the problem. Instead of permanently fixing it, we have "kicked the can down the road" repeatedly. The Senate wanted a two month fix. The House wanted a two-year fix.

The issue of the payroll tax has been in front of the Senate and House for months. We fought hard for a compromise to extend the payroll tax cut for a year, which would provide certainty for small businesses and hard working American families. Instead, the Senate passed only a two-month extension and left town leaving the House to clean up the mess.

None of this should have reached an impasse. None of this should have been left to the end of the year. We are all to be blamed. This is Congress at its worst. 

A two-month extension is not just a short-term patch, it is bad policy. America’s employers, families and Medicare doctors deserve long-term solutions. 

This is not how anyone wants to see business done in Washington. When the Senate returns in January I hope we will work together to help enact our jobs agenda and start putting the unemployed back to work.

Most importantly, I hope your holidays are filled with peace, family and faith.

Sincerely,

Kay Granger
Member of Congress