&prepublican congressman steve latourette of ohio says it's a go."ink it's a done deal, subject to the t's being crossed and thh i's being dotted."it's the art of a deal. i mean, it's a compromise. so you havv peeple that didn't get a 100% of what they wanted."the agreement would extend the payroll tax cut through the end of the year.it was set to eepire this month -- following a short- term deal reached in december. the break is worth about 83 dollars a month for someone earning 50-thousand a year.the deal would also include an extension of unemployment benefits and prevent cuts in payments to doctors who treat something nown as the &p"doc-fix."white house spokesman jay carney says all three components are iiportant. and he says it's vital that congress does not mess up thh economic recovery.one way to muck it up would be to somehow fail o exxend the payroll tax cut or somehow ail to extend unemployment insurance benefits or the "doc-fix." earlier, president obama saad the stakes are high."thii is a make-or-break moment for the piddle class in meric

reeublican congressmaa steve latourette of ohio says it's a go."one deal, subject to the t's being crossed and the i's being dotted."it's the art of a deal. i mean, it's a coopromise. so you have people that didn't get a 100% of what they wanted."the agreeeent would extend the payyoll tax cut through the end of the year.it was set to expire this month -- following a short- term deal reached in december. the break is worth about 83 dollars a month for someone earning 55-thousand a year.the deal woulddalso incllde an extensionnof unemployment payments toodoctors who treat patients with medicare, something known as the "doc-fix."white house spokesman jayycarney says all three components are important. and he says it's vital that congress does not mess up the ecooomic recovery.one way to muck it up would be to somehow fail to extend the payroll tax cut or somehow fail to xtend unemployment insurance benefits or the "doc-fix." earlier, president obamaasaid make-or-break moment for the middle class in americaa and for folks who want to be in the middle c

washington, d.c.,, february 3, 2012, i hereby apoint honorable steve latourette to act as speaker pro tempore on this day, signed john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the prayer will be offered by father conroy. chaplain conroy: loving and gracious god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. help us this day to draw closer to you so that with your spirit and aware of your presence among us, we may all face the task of this day with grace and confidence. bless the members of the peoples' house as they spend their final day in their home districts. may these decisive days through which we are living, make them genuine enough to maintain their integrity, good enough to keep their faith always guarding public office as a sacred trust. give them the wisdom and the courage to fail not their fellow citizens, nor you. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory. amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal the previous day proceeding announces its approval thereof. the chair will lead the house in

i want to congratulate steve latourette of ohio to bring all the pledges from left to right from those a run in party primaries. they are the greatest impediment to bringing the bipartisan solutions we all know will be required if we are to get our debt and deficit on the down rigid -- to director reported i want to encourage -- on down this trajectory. i want to incur as the candidates to get serious over the next six-eight months. everyone talks about the tremor -- train wreck that could occur in a lame-duck session of congress when a number of policies will be required to be dealt with including the tax cuts that would terminate. there is a lot of leverage on both sides, a good deal of policies to be engaged. we were talking earlier about the possibility of just taking the can down the road in the lame duck session. it will not be long before the next president and congress have to grapple with these issues. the more specificity, the more willingness to be honest about what needs to be done that can occur in the silence of this election will make it that much easier for policymakers