Obama urges public pressure on payroll tax

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- President Obama urged Americans to tweet, e-mail or otherwise pressure Congress to extend the payroll tax cut before it expires at the end of February.

In December before Congress went on break, lawmakers approved a temporary extension of the payroll tax holiday until the end of February.

If the cut isn't extended, Obama said, workers would pay about $1,000 more in taxes and would see their take-home pay be reduced by about $40 a paycheck.

Congress must extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance benefit "without drama," Obama said.

"Do it before it's too late and I will sign it right away," Obama said, flanked by people he said let him know the effects of losing $40 per paycheck would have on their lives.

House Republican leaders Monday indicated they would back off the party's demand that the tax cut be off set.

Obama recalled how everyone thought temporary extension of the cut would be passed in December after Senate Republicans initially agreed to a two-month payroll extension only to have House Republicans balk.

"You're starting to hear voices talk about how we can go ahead and make this happen in a timely way on behalf of the American people," Obama said. "But in Washington, you can't take anything for granted. ... So we've got to keep on making sure that the American people's voices keep breaking through until this is absolutely, finally, completely done."

Then, in a poke at the birther movement that doesn't believe Obama is a U.S. citizen and have questioned the veracity of his birth certificate, the president said:

"Until you see me sign this thing, you've got to keep on speaking up. Until you see that photograph of me signing it at my desk -- make sure it's verified, certified. If it's not on the White House Web site, it hasn't happened."

Obama urged listeners to "call, tweet, write your congressmen, write your senators," to tell them to pass the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance, which also expires at the end of February.

"Don't let taxes go up on 160 million working Americans," Obama said. "Don't let millions of Americans who are out there looking for work right now, and the economy is starting to improve but they don't have a job yet -- don't leave them without a lifeline in terms of cutting off their unemployment insurance."

The House Republicans' offer extend the payroll tax cut didn't include anything about extending unemployment benefits and a measure to prevent a drop in fees paid to doctors by Medicare.

"I just want everybody, all across the country, to keep the pressure so that we get this done," Obama said. "It is going to make our economy stronger, and it's going to put us in a position where we can start really rebuilding on behalf of not just this generation but future generations."