Boehner on "fiscal cliff": "There's a stalemate"

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) leaves after a news conference November 30, 2012 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. / Alex Wong/Getty Images

Updated: 2:22 p.m. ET

House Speaker John Boehner confirmed today what many in Washington have feared for days: When it comes to negotiations over the looming "fiscal cliff," he says, "there's a stalemate. Let's not kid ourselves."

Boehner, speaking to reporters at a press conference in response to President Obama's remarks today, continued an ongoing GOP assault of the White House's proposal to avoid the so-called "cliff," a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts that is set to kick in at the end of the year.

"It was not a serious proposal," Boehner said, of the White House's plan, which Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and White House congressional liaison Rob Nabors put forth yesterday in meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. "Right now we're almost nowhere."

• Obama: "Fiscal cliff" would be "a Scrooge Christmas"
• GOP: White House "fiscal cliff" idea "a joke"
• Boehner: "no substantive progress" on "cliff" talks

The proposal would have reduced the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years, created $1.6 trillion in revenue from higher taxes on households earning more than $250,000 per year, cut entitlement programs by $400 billion, and allocated $50 billion in stimulus spending next year for infrastructure projects. House Republicans swiftly it yesterday, and Republican aides familiar with the talks panned the offer as "a joke," "an insult" and "a complete break from reality."

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Boehner on "fiscal cliff": "Let's not kid ourselves... we're almost nowhere"

The speaker, who has now publicly rejected the plan two days in a row, reiterated remarks he made the day after the presidential election, wherein he said he was willing to put increases in revenue on the table but would not increase tax rates. He hammered the White House for taking "three weeks" to respond to his offer with a plan that, in his view, "wasn't a serious one."

Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., echoed that sentiment in remarks earlier in the day: "We don't want to increase tax rates. We're not going to increase tax rates," he said. "This is not a game. We're not interested in playing rope-a-dope. We're interested in trying to solve the problems of the American people so that we don't see taxes go up on anybody, so that we can engage in tax reform, get this economy going again. We're not playing a game. We're being serious. That offer yesterday was simply not serious."

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Cantor: WH "fiscal cliff" proposal "not a serious offer"

Many Democrats dismissed Boehner's post-election remarks, arguing that his offer provided no details with regard to how the math worked out -- the same argument they made during the Republican presidential campaign, when Romney offered up a similar proposal to Boehner's. Asked about specific ways to increase revenues without raising taxes, the speaker pointed to recent Republican budgets.

"There are plenty specific proposals," he said. "There's a lot from the conversations that we've had to inform almost anybody [about] the kind of proposals we're looking for."

Even as Boehner digs his heels in on the issue of tax hikes, top Democrats -- including the president -- are signaling a parallel refusal to cave with regard to the matter: Addressing workers at the Rodon Group factory in Pennsylvania this morning, the president accused "just a handful of Republicans in Congress" of holding middle class tax cuts hostage "simply because they don't want tax rates on upper income folks to go up."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., leveled a similar attack in a Friday press briefing with reporters.

"The clock is ticking. The year is ending... We're calling upon the Republican leadership in the House to bring this legislation to the floor next week," she said. "We believe that not doing that would be holding middle-income tax cuts hostage to tax cuts for the rich." 

In the ongoing battle over whether or not to let Bush-era tax cuts for the nation's top earners expire, Pelosi reiterated the Democratic argument that Mr. Obama, who ran for re-election on the position that those cuts should expire, has a mandate to carry out his agenda.

"Elections have consequences," she said. "He made it very clear that he was supporting a tax cut for the middle-class, that he wanted the expiration of the tax cuts for the high-end, and the American people know that. They voted for him."

House Republicans, however, are offering up a different logic: "The president won his re-election, we won our re-election," said Cantor. "We have to now come together."

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Republicans have 2 more years of power to stop America's progress. Countdown to 2014 elections where they get flushed down the toilet like the $hit they are.

[RollotheNorman]

LOL the Stalemate is all between the ears of Boehner and Cantor! And of course, a very special thanks to the loonies of the Tea Party in the House.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Republicans continue to thumb their nose at the rest of America and prove they have more allegiance to Grover Norquist and his anti tax pledge than to America and our constitution. Unpatriotic republican cretins unworthy of holding any office in American government.

[tvwatcher5345]

the republicans are damned if they make a deal and damned if they don't. they are the proverbial deer in the headlights and this is going to be fun to watch, the republicans should read the first part of psalm 52 if they want to see what is happening to their party

[tvwatcher5345]

also the republicans will lose control of the house in 2014, and it will not be because the democrats are better, it will be because the republicans are dumber

[sjc_1]

"The president won his re-election, we won our re-election," said Cantor.

The difference is the NATION voted for President Obama, only one district in Virginia voted for Cantor.

[sjc_1]

"The clock is ticking. The year is ending... We're calling upon the Republican leadership in the House to bring this legislation to the floor next week,"

Boehner is suppose to be the leader, so lead and quit whining.

[tsigili]

I would call it an impasse, as what Obama wants he is simply NOT going to get, period.

He cannot have no debt ceiling.

He cannot take the budget control away from Congress.

He cannot continue to spend $1 trillion+ per year.

He cannot continue to cut payroll taxes, and defund SS and Medicare.

Either he gets real, or NOTHING will happen at all.

[nearl451]

BS. He can't not never nohow avoid the cliff.

.....and I am not afraid.

[antoniof123]

Actually the Republians have NO POLITICAL CAPITAL.

On the other hand the President has A LOT OF POLITICAL CAPITAL.

If the Republicans go this route there will be no doubt they pushed us off the fiscal cliff. Then it two and four years from now they will lose elections and the next president Democrat will coast into office.

So it is well known that the losing party has no chance of getting much if anything.

[Phil_Eng_Amer]

Right now the focus should be avoiding the fiscal cliff. The way the debate is going on right now, it seems like we're heading towards a long stalemate, which would not help us. Recommendations have been to not extending the Bush/Obama tax cuts for those making over $250,000, but only 2% of households would be subject to increased taxes (http://******/Trz7D8). If you instead let these households keep their tax cuts for one more it will go a long way in avoiding the fiscal cliff, and you would be able to work on a debt deal without having to worry about the cliff. If the name of the game is avoiding the cliff, perhaps this would be the best course of action to help us figure out how to tackle this mess (http://******/TrCYjE).

[antoniof123]

Phil when did it become Obama's tax cut it was all Bush and Republicans this way they can hold the middle class hostage.

And yes Nancy P. is correct one the middle class figures and they are getting close there will be well you know what to be paid.

Just like in this election they thought that by attacking and hating they would win.

No amount of money will stop our elections once we have decided who will win.

[erashad58]

The new Democrat proposal is very discouraging in that it provides so few immediate cuts in entitlements. The Democrats want to continue the madness that is entitlement spending, it is the biggest problem with our budget and the continued reason for our deficit. Bush started it with his prescription plan to win Florida and Obama's expanded it and its grown 700% since the 70's and it needs to stop.

[TimeToEvolve]

Boner is a complete idiot. Does the Bonehead not know that the 5 members of the Walton family, the owners of Wal Mart, have more wealth than the botton 40% of Americans. Is there anyone who does not think there is something very wrong and dangerous with this?