Obama: Still No Decision On The Bush Tax Cuts

Despite reports over the weekend that the White House would likely to side with Republicans and extend the full slate of Bush-era tax cuts, President Barack Obama promised Friday that he would meet with both parties before making a final decision.

“I’m going to meet with both the Republican and Democratic leaders late next week and we’re going to sit down and discuss how we move forward,” Obama said during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea. “My job is to negotiate back in Washington with Republican and Democratic leaders.”

Obama reemphasized his administration’s desire to reach a compromise on the cuts, preferably one that would make only the middle class reductions permanent.

“I continue to believe that extending permanently the upper-income tax cuts would be a mistake and that we can’t afford,” Obama said.