For both employed and unemployed residents of the Hudson Valley, a political stalemate in Washington, D.C. could soon hit home.
If Congress can't come to an agreement before Jan. 1, millions will lose their unemployment benefits and virtually everyone will pay steeper payroll taxes.
House Republican leaders are renewing their call for the Democratic-led Senate to bargain with them and try to end the stalemate over extending a payroll tax cut and jobless benefits.
The Senate had voted to extend the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits for two months. But the House killed that bill and called for opening negotiations on a yearlong extension of the tax break.
One woman, who was looking for work at a career center in Newburgh, says it's important that Congress extend unemployment insurance.
"I'd rather have a job than unemployment but, yeah, I don't want to lose my unemployment," she says. AP wire services were used in this report.