House GOP Leaders Stand Firm On Taxes

House Republicans, on their way to meet with President Obama at the White House to negotiate a raise to the debt ceiling, offered no change in the demands they have been making throughout the negotiations, remaining absolute in the party’s ‘no tax hike’ stance. 

“We are not going to raise taxes on the American people, we are not going to raise taxes on the very people we expect to reinvest in our economy and to help grow jobs,” Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters.

When Boehner was pressed over how he would reach a deal with the Democrats, who have insisted that revenue increases be included, the Speaker simply said that “there’s a lot of conversation that is underway,” and that spending should be the focus.

Republicans Unveil New Contract

A small group of Republicans on Thursday released their “Pledge To America,” a 21-page document that outlines what the party will do if it wins back Congress this fall.

The manifesto proposes a bevy of government reforms, from slashing spending to repealing President Obama’s healthcare law. The pledge is low on specifics, but features ideas submitted by members of the public through the GOP’s “America Speaking Out” website.

“Our pledge to America is that the Republicans stand ready to get it done and beginning today,” said House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).

“The land of opportunity has become the land of shrinking prosperity,” said Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), a key architect of the document. “Americans across this country are outraged, and so are we.”

Boehner and McCarthy were among a dozen House GOP’ers who made the trek to Tart Lumber in Sterling, Va. to unveil the pledge. Republicans chose Sterling, a Washington, D.C. suburb located roughly 45 minutes outside the city, as a more modest alternative to the ceremony held in 1994 on the Capitol steps in which over 100 Republicans announced their “Contract With America.”

Boehner Says Obama Doesn't Get It

By AJ Swartwood

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) continued to criticize President Barack Obama over his economic proposals on Thursday.

“I don’t think the President and his economic team get it,” Boehner said. “Our economy is struggling to create jobs, and all the spending is one of the reasons why.”

Since the White House announced earlier this month a $50 billion infrastructure plan aimed at immediately creating jobs, Boehner has been on the attack, blasting the administration for proposing more investments. The Republican leader countered last week with a proposal of his own to extend tax cuts on all Americans for at least two years, and to return spending to pre-2008 levels.

“If the President wants to talk about new ideas for creating jobs, lets start with this one, lets try cutting spending instead of clinging to the worn out notion that we can spend our way back to prosperity,” Boehner said.

Boehner, who has backtracked on comments he made last Sunday suggesting he may be open to supporting tax cuts for only the middle class, reiterated his party’s pledge to support tax cuts for all.

“That’s our big focus,” he said.

GOP Leaders: Extend Tax Cuts For All

On Wednesday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and fellow Republican House leaders reiterated their commitment to extending tax cuts for all Americans. 

With the economy in the tank and unemployment still high, the series of tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of this year, have been the subject of great debate in recent weeks.

Boehner, who said on Sunday that he would be willing, if necessary, to vote not to extend the tax cuts for top earners, took a different tone with reporters on Wednesday.

“Raising taxes on anyone, especially small businesses, is the exact wrong thing to do in a struggling economy,” he said.

When questioned as to whether or not he would be willing to compromise and allow those cuts to expire, Boehner emphasized his party’s unified message.

“I want to extend all of the current tax rates, and that’s what the American people want.”

Boehner’s number two in the House, Eric Cantor (R-Va.), put his party’s message into succinct form. “Cutting taxes, cutting spending, and creating jobs. It’s that simple,” he said.

Sparring Over Economy Intensifies Between Obama And Boehner

During his speech on the economy yesterday in Ohio, President Barack Obama directly confronted House GOP leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) over his party’s accusations that the current administration’s fiscal policies have hurt the nation more than they have helped.

Obama spoke outside of Cleveland, a few miles from where Boehner delivered a speech two weeks ago, and referred to Boehner seven times throughout the course of his remarks, denouncing the Republican’s proposal to extend the Bush-era tax cuts.

It came as no surprise that the president’s impassioned speech, in which he took mulitiple shots at the GOP, coincided with the start of this year’s final campaign stretch run.

Obama accused Republicans of “rooting against the recovery,” and told the audience that a vote for the GOP this November would be a vote to take the country backwards.

“When these same Republicans, including Mr. Boehner, were in charge, the number of earmarks and pet projects went up, not down,” Obama said. “There are no new policies from Mr. Boehner. There are no new ideas.” 

Immediately after Obama finished speaking, Boehner and other GOP figures took to Twitter to instantly respond.

“Instead of focusing on me, @BarackObama should work w/GOP to cut spending & stop the tax hikes to help create jobs,” read a Tweet from Boehner.

“Guess [Obama] missed the $1.5 trillion [in spending cuts] we offered,” tweeted House Minority Whip Eric Cantor’s (R-Va.) press secretary.