(US) House skips town as tax deadline looms

Taxes are set to go up on 160 million Americans in a few weeks. But there’s little sign of urgency — let alone progress — coming out of Washington. House lawmakers dashed out of town Thursday for a four-day weekend, but not before engaging in another round of sniping. Meanwhile, the clock continued to tick toward the end-of-month expiration of the 2 percent payroll tax holiday. Democrats formally rejected two GOP measures to rework unemployment insurance – provisions that Republicans say are needed to gain their support to extend the tax credit. One tweak would force people who receive unemployment benefits to be enrolled in a GED program, another would allow states to require drug testing for recipients. (Excerpt) Read more at politico.com …