John Boehner Will Respond To Attacks On His Fiscal Cliff ‘Plan B’ This Afternoon

By admin on December 19, 2012

Republican House Speaker John Boehner will hold a press conference Wednesday afternoon to respond to growing criticism of his new “Plan B” option to avoid the fiscal cliff.

The plan, which Boehner plans to bring to a floor vote, would extend the Bush-era tax cuts for everyone making under $ 1 million — far above the $ 250,000 income threshold demanded by President Barack Obama. It’s a tactical move by the Speaker, who has been frustrated with the pace of negotiations with the White House.

On Wednesday, the White House slammed the strategy, blasting out a four-page analysis of the “Plan B” legislation for not going far enough to help the middle class, and for “perversely” leaving out any spending cuts. Obama confirmed Wednesday that he would veto the bill.

Boehner’s office has hit back, calling the White House’s opposition to the bill “bizarre and irrational.”

But Boehner’s “Plan B” has also come under serious fire from conservatives in his own party who oppose any increase in marginal tax rates. Both Heritage Action and the Club For Growth — two major grassroots conservative groups — sent memos to Republican members of Congress Wednesday, urging them to vote against “Plan B.”

Democrats have also signaled that they won’t vote for the bill, despite having proposed similar legislation themselves earlier this year.

“You can’t turn back the clock,” New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, said Wednesday. “The political landscape has changed. The Pres. ran on $ 250k.”

Boehner is set to speak at 2:15 p.m. We’ll update this post with his remarks.

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