Democratic Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye said he will support his party’s leadership when it comes to extending the payroll tax, but also said he wants to do “everything possible” to make sure an end-of-year spending plan goes through, according to Politico. 

Despite the gridlock on Capitol Hill, political trackers agree that Congress appears poised to quietly come to an agreement before the Dec. 16 deadline. 

Still, lofty rhetoric from the Obama administration — have you seen the giant countdown clock on the White House website? — isn’t necessarily making matters any easier. 

As Politico points out, the White House’s vim for calling out Republicans could also mean that it “risks shooting its own allies.”

Read the full story.