The Senate will vote today to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act, an Internet sales tax bill.

FORBES: A Net Loss For Small Businesses

It was difficult enough for the previous Congress to pass the ACA. Although the act imposes other taxes, an overt tax of the size needed to do the same job as the mandate would have been politically unpalatable.

FORBES: With or without mandate, Affordable Care Act fails

Instead, we let outside analysts, outside economists assess it, and they made a judgment that the portions of the American Jobs Act that Congress has yet to pass would add an addition 1 million-plus jobs to the American economy right now.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney,

For Congress to act, to pass -- to come to an agreement, because of the nature of the recess there and they have the capacity to pass a unanimous consent measure that would allow an extension to be passed, which is the same kind of extension that has been passed 20 previous times just since 2007 that would send those Americans back on the job.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

The Senate, in an admirable show of bipartisanship, came together to pass the STOCK Act, because it was the right thing to do.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

The bill, an expansion and update to the Equal Pay Act of 1963, failed to pass the Senate today.

FORBES: Senate To Equal Pay For Women: Drop Dead

Peers voted by 203 to 165 to pass an amendment calling for an independent review of council tax reduction schemes within three years of the act coming into force.

BBC: Government defeated over council tax plans