The house passed the bush tax cuts for individuals earning less then 200k or families earning less then 250k.

Democrats want to pass that same bill, but republicans want to include everyone, which would cost an additional $700 billion and give millionaires tax cuts, they are holding the unemployed and the middle class or lower hostage until they accept bush tax cuts for everyone.

Here is the problem, and quoting one of the senators.

The average earning for the richest 400 in the US is $344 million each, that amounts to about $7 million each.

doing a little math each tax break for the richest 400 would be the equivalent of 140 employee salaries at 50k each, that amounts to about 5600 jobs for a year, and that is one their personal earnings, not corporate earnings or anything like that, personal, for their private use in their individual bank accounts and only the richest 400.