 The tax cut extension for the remainder of the year was passed as the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 on February 17 , 2012 , by a vote of 293 – 132 in the House and 60 – 36 in the Senate . The bill also contained a further extension of unemployment benefits and the Medicare reimbursement rates . The cost of the tax cut was not offset by spending cuts , but the other provisions were offset by cuts in federal healthcare and pension programs . Republican support for the bill was motivated by a desire to not oppose a tax cut in an election year . Some Democrats criticized the bill for directing spending cuts at federal employees rather than generating funds by increasing taxes on the wealthy or closing tax loopholes . 
