Borrowing a page from President Obama's playbook, House Democrats continued to chide their GOP counterparts Tuesday for remaining on a holiday break while the clock ticks down to an expiration of the payroll tax cut, saying in a press release, "We can't wait", a common theme at White House events.

It's a fight ignited by the president's recent controversial recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the new consumer protection agency, as well as, three labor board nominees. Republicans, furious, charged that Congress was not in recess, and therefore the appointment was illegal. GOP aides insisted that business was being conducted, like the late December extension of the payroll tax holiday and the appointment of conferees to a House-Senate panel charged with extending the law through year's end.

Democrats scoffed.

Each chamber is currently holding "pro forma" sessions every three days as required by the Constitution, in the absence of an adjournment agreement. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., started this phenomenon back in 2008 in part to block recess appointments by then-President George W. Bush.

The definition of a recess is at the heart of this fight, and House Democrats sought on Tuesday in a bit of political theater, as in past weeks, to show no work was on tap for the chamber. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., rejected an attempt by his colleague, Virginia Democrat Jim Moran, to speak on the floor. A press release from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., quickly followed saying Moran was attempting to push for the payroll tax cut conference committee to get to work extending the tax break, which is set to expire at the end of February...