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The House and Senate passed an extension to the payroll tax cut on Feb. 17, reaching relatively quick agreement on an issue that was extremely divisive just two months ago.

Much of the discussion has centered around the political fight—who won and who lost, and who scored the most political points during the debate. But many economists see it as an essential part of our nation’s economic recovery.

Political reporter J. Ben Bradford finds out the situation in Washington from Chuck Marr, director of tax policy at the nonprofit think tank the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.