Norquist: Dems Have Secret Tax Agreement

Amid criticism that his organization’s anti-tax pledge sunk the Congressional Supercommittee, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist argued Sunday that Democrats are equally to blame for the gridlock, charging that they have agreed to a covert tax plan.

“The Democrats have the secret agreement, which they’ve announced every once in awhile on TV, they want $1 trillion in tax increases,” Norquist said during an interview on Meet the Press. “So who’s being unreasonable? The guys who want $1 trillion more of your money to waste, or the people who say, ‘We’re spending too much of your money now. Let’s bring spending down to normal levels, not try and get to where Greece is.’”

Norquist also rebuffed characterizing the 12 member panel’s inability to find $1.2 trillion in spending cuts as a failure, noting that there is nothing particularly wrong with the across the board cuts that will be made as an alternative to an agreement.

“That’s not a failure. That was option two,” Norquist said.

Americans for Tax Reform’s “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” requires signatories to oppose any efforts to raise taxes for individuals or businesses. 238 members of the House of Representatives and 41 Senators have signed it.