What Does A Pipeline Have To Do With A Payroll Tax Cut?

It's crunch time in Congress — they're scheduled to adjourn on Friday for a holiday break — and there is plenty of work to do.

For instance, will a payroll tax cut be extended? President Obama wants the cut extended, but Republicans say they'll vote for the extension only if the White House fast tracks approval of the Keystone Oil Pipeline.

Speaker John Boehner predicts the tax cut will be passed.

“I believe that it will pass with bipartisan support today,” Boehner told reporters. But Obama and Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) have threatened to hold up the package unless Republicans remove the provision about the Keystone Pipeline.

Environmental groups oppose the pipeline, while Republicans support it. Obama had previously put off a decision on the pipeline until 2013.