On the Blog: Kim Jong Il is Dead

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il has died.

We review some of the bills dealing with North Korea and point to a strange site documenting his strange rule in a post entitled: “Kim Jong Il is Dead.”

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Last week, Congress passed two spending bills. This week the House is faced with a tax-cut dilemma.

With a temporary spending bill expiring, Congress last week passed a bill to fund the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2012. H.R. 2055, a military spending bill now called the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012, spends about $8,800 per U.S. family.

The House and Senate also passed H.R. 3672, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2012. That bill spends about $80 per U.S. family on federal disaster aid in the current fiscal year.

Before concluding work for the year, the Senate passed a version of H.R. 3630 that extends the existing payroll-tax holiday and renames the bill from the “Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011″ to the “The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011.”

The Senate-passed version would keep the payroll tax withheld from workers’ pay to fund Social Security at 4.2% instead of the usual 6.2% for two months.

Leaders of the Republican House want to pass a full-year extension of the payroll tax holiday, but because the Democratic Senate has adjourned for the year, its refusal to pass the Senate bill would allow payroll taxes to increase on January 1st. This is the dilemma faced by the House as it debates H.R. 3630 early this week.

The Senate-passed version of H.R. 3630 would save about $360 per U.S. family and increase the national debt by about $26 per family.

H.R. 2055
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012
Costs $8,802.00 per family

H.R. 3672
The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2012
Costs $82.80 per family

H.R. 3630
The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011
Saves $361.78 per family

What People Think

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 42% For, 58% Against Vote on this Bill

The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2012 50% For, 50% Against Vote on this Bill

The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 52% For, 48% Against Vote on this Bill

Displayed below are new, updated, and passed items with their cost or savings per family.

New Items

H.R. 3672
The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2012
Costs $82.80 per family

H.R. 2060
The Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act
Saves $0.00 per family

H.R. 3029
The Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act of 2011
Saves $299.92 per family

H.R. 2087
To remove restrictions from a parcel of land situated in the Atlantic District, Accomack County, Virginia
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 2586
The Swap Execution Facility Clarification Act
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 2682
The Business Risk Mitigation and Price Stabilization Act of 2011
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 2779
To exempt inter-affiliate swaps from certain regulatory requirements put in place by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 3117
The Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2011
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 200
The Inland Empire Perchlorate Ground Water Plume Assessment Act of 2011
Costs $0.04 per family

H.R. 1905
The Iran Threat Reduction Act of 2011
Costs $1.21 per family

H.R. 2070
The World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2011
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 2336
The York River Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2011
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 2834
The Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 2105
The Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Reform and Modernization Act of 2011
Costs $0.25 per family

Updated Items

H.R. 3630
The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011
Saves $361.78 per family

Passed Items

P.L. 112-64
The National Guard and Reservist Debt Relief Extension Act of 2011
Costs $0.00 per family

P.L. 112-65
A bill to revise the Federal charter for the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. to reflect a change in eligibility requirements for membership

P.L. 112-66
A bill to amend title 36, United States Code, to authorize the American Legion under its Federal charter to provide guidance and leadership to the individual departments and posts of the American Legion, and for other purposes