Dueling Tax Cut Extension Plans Fail in the Senate

Neither Democrats’ nor Republicans’ plans for extending payroll tax cuts passed the Senate on Thursday. The former proposed to extend tax cuts on federal  withholdings like Social Security and unemployment for employers and employees; the latter wanted to freeze federal worker’s pay until 2015 and reduce that workforce by ten percent. While the respective failure of both measures is attributable to partisanship, some senator’s refusals to vote along party lines reflect fierce internal debates about the best way to proceed. The Takeaway’s Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich speaks about the internal strife and what’s next for Washington and debt.