Vice President Joe Biden joins the Senate’s Democratic leadership after passing the tax cut extension bill.

Wednesday, the Senate 51-48 passed an extension of the Bush tax cuts for the middle-class, and smaller wage earners. According to a White House statement to the Hammill Post, House Republicans  are poised to block passage of the bill. That’s unless the tax cuts for the top two percent of earners is not re-instated. “The Republican leadership plans to hold middle-class tax cuts hostage unless they can also extend a trillion dollars worth of cuts for the wealthiest two percent of Americans.”

The Republican leadership responded saying, “The President and his Washington allies need to stop holding America’s economy hostage in order to raise taxes on those trying to lead our economic recovery.” That’s according to Senator Orrin Hatch (UT-R), senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.

President Obama appealed to lawmakers at a Cabinet meeting Thursday, “I would urge the House of Representatives to do the right thing.” He continued saying that he and top aides would “amplify that message” in days to come.