Republicans are proposing a “fiscal cliff” plan that revives ideas from failed budget talks with President Barack Obama last year, calling for raising the eligibility age for Medicare, lowering cost-of-living hikes for Social Security benefits, and bringing in $800 billion in higher tax revenue. The counteroffer made by the GOP on Monday to a White House plan last week relies more on politically sensitive spending cuts, and would raise half of the $1.6 trillion in revenue proposed by Obama over the coming decade. The 10-year, $2.2 trillion proposal from House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, resembles a framework similar to what Boehner supported last year, but Obama is pressing for additional tax increases and appears to be balking at spending cuts discussed in those talks and since. Administration officials from Obama on down say it’ll take money from raising tax rates on the rich—instead of GOP proposals to simply curb their deductions—to win Obama’s approval of any plan to avoid the “fiscal cliff.” It has been nearly a week since Obama and Boehner talked directly about the looming cliff, though their staffs have been in contact. Boehner attended a congressional holiday party at the White House Monday night, but avoided the photo line where members get their picture taken with the president and have a few minutes to talk. Obama and Boehner will push their positions again today in separate meetings with some of the nation’s governors. The Associated Press has the full story here.
Today’s poll question: Should any federal plan that addresses the looming “fiscal cliff” include a tax hike on the wealthiest Americans?
