In an unusual Saturday vote, the Senate approved by an 89-to-10 vote a $33 billion package that would extend a payroll-tax holiday for millions of American workers, extend unemployment benefits and avoid cuts in payments to doctors who accept Medicare. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who voted against the plan, said he was “furious and disgusted” at the two-month extension, saying the Social Security trust fund shouldn’t be used to pay for the break and that punting a problem for another two months is emblematic of Washington’s inability to solve tough problems. In remarks before the White House press corps, the president said that next year’s vote should be a “formality,” and that he expected that Congress would accomplish his goal of a one-year extension “with as little drama as possible when they come back next month.” 
 
 Any thought that Congress will agree on a yearlong tax-cut extension or on the other provisions is extremely optimistic, given that its work will overlap with Mr. Obama’s State of the Union speech, the heat of the Republican primaries and a presidential campaign hitting full stride. The State Department has already put off a decision on Keystone pending changes in the route and further environmental reviews, and has indicated that any attempts to hasten the project will most likely result in its disapproval, a warning White House officials gleefully repeated time and again on Saturday. Mr. Obama’s aides said Saturday that he was delaying his departure for Christmas vacation in Hawaii until what had been expected to be next week’s House vote on the two-month payroll tax extension.
– No last-minute surprises in the Senate: The chamber easily passed legislation this morning that will keep the payroll tax cut in place for another two months, reports Politico. The framework of the deal, which also extends jobless benefits, had been ironed out last night. It sailed through today on a vote of 89-10. The House will take it up next week, and Senate aides tell the Hill that John Boehner will likely back the measure, but he won't do so publicly until he briefs members. As expected, the legislation also includes a Republican provision to step up pressure on President Obama over the proposed Keystone oil pipeline. It calls for a quick decision from the White House, even though Obama had hoped to put off that call until after the 2012 elections. Democratic aides tell the New York Times that the short deadline actually gives Obama a handy excuse to reject the pipeline proposal because the State Department won't have time to conduct the necessary review. (Later, the Senate passed a $1 trillion budget bill as expected, notes AP; it had already cleared the House.)