Senate Democrats are planning a new vote on a measure to raise taxes on earners making over $1 million to fund a payroll tax cut. Republicans have blocked the effort four previous times over the past two months. At the White House, President Obama urged Republicans to drop their opposition to taxing the wealthy.

President Obama: “We are going through what is still an extraordinary time in this country and in this economy. And I get letters every single day, and I talk to people who say to me, 'This unemployment insurance is what allowed me to keep my house before I was able to find another job. This is what allowed me to still put gas in the tank to take my kids to school.' We cannot play games with unemployment insurance when we still have an unemployment rate that is way too high.”