Boehner Fires Back at White House Over Tax Hikes
Boehner statement released to Human Events
House Republican Leader John Boehner on Monday clarified his position on President Obama’s plan to raise tax rates on small businesses, releasing an extensive statement exclusively to Human Events saying he was unwilling to accept tax hikes for any American.
Boehner said he’s “got a news flash for the White House”—he’s not willing to accept tax increases for any American and that includes job-creating small business owners.
“It’s disappointing and counterproductive that the President and his advisors have decided to spin my comments yesterday as a sign that I am willing to accept tax hikes on any American. Here’s a news flash for the White House: I am not,” Boehner told Human Events. “As a former small businessman committed to freedom and smaller government, I strongly oppose the President’s plan to raise taxes on small business in a struggling economy.”
Boehner also blasted the White House for a deliberate misinformation campaign.
“I am also unwilling to let the President of the United States and his staff use their positions to mislead the American people into believing Republicans oppose middle-class relief, and I believe my statements yesterday made that clear as well,” Boehner said.
In an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Boehner was accused by host Bob Schieffer of holding tax cuts hostage if the cuts don’t include small businesses.
“Aren’t you kind of holding the tax cuts for the lower-income people, the people making less than $250,000 hostage, so you can give those tax cuts to the upper brackets?” Schieffer asked.
Boehner told Schieffer that his position was to give relief to all Americans paying taxes.
“I want to do something for all Americans who pay taxes. And you have to understand, Bob, that there are large majorities of Democrats in the House and Senate. They haven’t reached out to us for the last 20 months. It’s not Republicans standing in the way here. There’s a growing chorus of Democrats, in both the House and the Senate, who believe that they should extend the current tax rates for all Americans,” Boehner said.
“When you start to look at who’s going to be taxed, about half of all small business income will be taxed under the President’s proposal. These are the very people that we expect to invest in the economy and to begin creating jobs. Why would we want to punish them?” Boehner responded.
When Schieffer asked if Boehner was willing to support limited tax cuts, Boehner responded, “If the only option I have is to vote for some of those tax reductions, I’ll vote for them. But I’ve been making the point now for months that we need to extend all the current rates for all Americans. If we want to get our economy going again and we want to get jobs in America.”
Boehner told HUMAN EVENTS on Monday that he wants the full extension of the tax cuts to come up for a vote before Congress recesses again (to be determined by Democrat leadership) not later than the first week of October to campaign for the November 2 elections.
“Today the senior Republicans on the three committees responsible for such legislation are sending a letter to their Democratic counterparts asking that work on such legislation begin immediately,” Boehner said. “If Congress leaves town this fall having failed to pass such a plan, the White House and Congress will have failed the American people and broken the President’s promise that he will focus on jobs.”
“Last week I, along with Whip [Eric] Cantor, Chairman [Mike] Pence and other House Republicans, set forth a two-point plan for bipartisan action on jobs that would cut non-security discretionary spending to 2008 levels for the next year and freeze all current tax rates to provide certainty for small businesses,” Boehner said.
“The only way forward that will help our economy get back to creating jobs is to stop all the coming tax hikes and cut spending immediately. The American people want all of the tax hikes stopped, as do many of our nation’s top economists and what appears to be an emerging bipartisan majority of legislators in the House of Representatives,” Boehner said.
The shootout broadened to Twitter Monday when White House press secretary Robert Gibbs “tweeted” that Republicans were in “disarray” about tax cuts: “@presssec Disarray = Boehner vs Cantor, Boehner vs McConnell & McConnell vs McConnell – why hold middle class tax cuts hostage to these disagreements”
Boehner shot back from his Twitter account: “@GOPLeader Attn @presssec: Republicans are unified: to boost our economy, we need to stop ALL tax hikes and cut spending now”
The Democrat majority controls whether the extension of all tax cuts will come to the House floor for a vote. Insiders say the House has the votes the pass the entire tax cut package.
The question is will Democrat leaders allow the full tax-cut extension to come to the floor for a vote?
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Also here is a GREAT write up by John Boehner from yesterday:
How to jump-start the economy
By: Rep. John A. Boehner
(Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) is the House minority leader.)
September 14, 2010
Americans have had enough of bailouts, government takeovers and stimulus spending sprees. All have combined to create massive uncertainty for businesses large and small, and our economy is showing the effects.
The country has lost confidence in Washington — and rightly so.
Our government is lurching from one crisis to the next, with no thought, context or concept of how it affects the bigger picture. The results aren’t there, and the leaders aren’t, either. Many Democrats return to Washington this week after spending the past month trying to run away from their party’s job-killing agenda. All the panicking and infighting only distract from the urgent challenges at hand.
We need a fresh start built on a clear message and a responsible blueprint to help get people working again.
That’s why House Republicans have proposed a two-point plan for immediate, bipartisan action to help jump-start our sputtering economy. This plan calls on both parties to work together and take the following actions this month:
Cut nonsecurity government spending for the next year to fiscal 2008 levels — before all of the bailouts, government takeovers and stimulus spending sprees began. Exceptions should be made for programs affecting seniors, veterans and national security. This legislation would provide the fiscal discipline economists say is needed to promote private-sector job creation.
Having failed to pass — or even propose — a budget, Washington Democrats will try to get away with continuing to spend at the current inflated levels. We cannot allow that to happen. Our proposal would save taxpayers nearly $100 billion in the first year alone.
Enact a two-year freeze on all current tax rates to stop job-killing tax hikes on families and small businesses. This legislation would help ease the uncertainty employers and entrepreneurs are facing so they can get back to creating jobs. Raising taxes will only hurt an already weakened job market. Peter Orszag, the president’s former budget director, agrees — which is why he endorsed a two-year freeze in a column published Sept. 6 by The New York Times.
This will help remove impediments to growth and give our economy a true chance to recover, instead of being left to wallow in the disproven notion that we can spend our way back to prosperity. By taking these common-sense steps together, we can show the American people we’re listening and we’re ready to do what needs to be done to get our economy moving again.
In addition to setting out a plan to boost the economy now, Republicans are finalizing a clear and positive governing agenda focused on addressing the American people’s priorities.
In May, Republicans launched the America Speaking Out project, led by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), to engage the American people in the creation of this new governing blueprint. Online and at town hall meetings, Americans are sharing solutions for building a more responsive government and a better country. All you have to do is log on to AmericaSpeakingOut.com, post an idea or a comment and vote on someone else’s.
This agenda won’t be a Washington-knows-best document handed down by Washington know-it-alls pushing the same-old, same-old. It is certainly not the product of political-season panicking among Washington insiders stuck on a ship of fools. We have been building this agenda from the ground up by listening to the American people.
For his part, President Barack Obama continues to demonstrate that he is not listening to the American people. He has ruled out any compromise on his proposal to raise taxes on families and small businesses. He wants Congress to move forward with a plan that, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, would raise taxes on half of small-business income in America. The president has also proposed more of the same failed stimulus spending that has led to fewer jobs and more debt.
The president wants Congress to spend September debating his plans for more spending and higher taxes. While this is a discussion Republicans welcome, it’s not one Washington should be having now.
Our time to act is running short. The House is scheduled to be in session for roughly 10 more days before adjournment. Instead of staggering from one failed policy and muddled message to the next, let’s listen to the American people and use this time to work together to focus on fixing our economy.
Let’s cut spending and stop the tax hike — now.
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Wild Thing’s comment………
Boehner said he’s “got a news flash for the White House”—he’s not willing to accept tax increases for any American and that includes job-creating small business owners.
“Boehner also blasted the White House for a deliberate misinformation campaign.”
Good for Boehner. That is what they need to do every single time this BS happens from the left. Stand up to these freaks on the left.