Covington, KY (CNN) - The man in line to be Speaker of the House should Republicans win the majority is trying to convince voters his party isn't just against Democrats policies – they have ideas of their own.
In advance of President Obama's economic speech in Cleveland, Ohio native son John Boehner released a two part GOP proposal he says he wants Congress to take up this month when they return for a brief session.
First, the plan calls for Congress to freeze most government spending for next year at 2008 levels, before the near $800 billion dollar stimulus bill was passed.
Second, Republicans want to enact a two year freeze on all current tax rates. This is intended to stop all Bush era tax cuts from expiring.
The president campaigned on ending those tax cuts for families making $250,000 or more. Many Congressional Democrats back that idea, saying the wealthiest Americans should be taxed at higher rates. In key races all over the country Republicans have been blasting their Democratic opponents, saying raising those tax rates would end up hurting small businesses and inhibit consumer spending.
Republicans know there is virtually no chance of this passing before November, but this does give a glimpse of what direction a GOP House Majority may take, and in real terms show how they would try to affect President Obama's agenda.
House GOP sources say they will unveil a broader Republican agenda later this month.
In a statement, Boehner's office said that agenda "is being built from the ground up by listening to the American people who want Washington to end its out-of-control spending spree and end uncertainty for small businesses so they can get back to creating jobs."
From CNN Politics
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Yea, try to affect Obama's policies by STILL giving breaks to the wealthy in America while passing by the Middle Class. Great Plan.
Obama is doing his part for small business. The "tax break' excuse doesn't work anymore.
Please, please, please...let this be the battle cry of the GOP for the next two months.
"We want to return everything to 2008."
If this is the case, Democrats will pick up seats in both the House and the Senate.
Please, please, please....
This is the plan??
Why didn't they end out of control spending, when they SPENT US IN TWO UN-NEEDED WARS, and MEDICARE-ADVANTAGE for our seniors.
Go Ahead, PLAY THIS CHILDISH GAME IF YOU WANT.
THE DEM MAJORITY WILL STAY IN TACT, there want be a scratch on it
It is as expected! Keep the bush tax cuts in place for the rich that helped create our deficit that the republicans are so upset about. Freeze ! I hope that means our military is included so we don't have to add to the $3 trillion wasted and added to our deficit that the republicans say they are against. Go back to the old and give the republicans a second chance to ruin our country economically! Boehner is a boner!
Yeah! The GOP has a plan everybody! Give tax breaks to the rich and stick it to Main Street USA...
The tax cuts are going to expire. Live with it.
I pray he becomes Speaker.
Pelosi is evil, she does not care about the people, she only cares about the Progressive agenda which is big govt. socialism and elite rule.
I hope that then she will then resign, because she will be nothing but a rep from that Liberal utopia known as San Francisco,.And she's such a pompous idiot, her pride won't allow it, so she'll step down.
House cleaning starts in Nov. Democrats not wanted, need not apply
This guy is a idiot. Why anyone would want to put him in charge is beyond me. Its like putting a rabbit to watch a cabbage patch.....You just know how that's going to turn out. All he knows is that he loves his rich life that we all pay for and that he doesn't want to lose it at any cost. Boy, there sure are a lot of ignorant people that live in Ohio that keep voting him back in........the Orange Man
And Dr. No calls this a plan, same old double talk, stop spending, but extend spending with the Bush tax cuts.
Vote for conservatives and watch this economy turn around!! The stock market will soar on November 4th! Just wait and see Folks.
Hmmm... freeze spending and keep tax cuts. Sounds familiar – oh, yeah – same old stuff from the GOP.
I suppose Boehner and his cohorts want to put many government agency employees on the unemployment line, too. Great – just what we need, MORE unemployed people.
So basically their "plan" is to keep everything the same as it was at the end of the Bush era...because that obviously worked out so well.
More tax breaks for the rich that seems to be their answer for everything. Our country looks more and more like some fuedal kingdom where a few wealthy rule over all us peasents.
GOP plan for the economy? Complete, total, utter collapse of the world economic system. An economy based on can goods and shotgun shells. "The Road" on steroids. A vote for the GOP is a vote for barbarism and chaos on a scale unseen since the 1100's.
Good job Boehner. At least you are better than Pelosi.
WOW what a plan!! Once again the republicans have shown that they only care about Wall Street and not Main Street. America wake up...we have been down this road before....it should look very familiar...avoid it at all costs....
So it took you two years to do this? Wow, just imagine where we would be if you had been in power. No one would be on the internet as we would all be in soup lines. Sad, that the party of NO thinks they have some great snake oil they are trying to sell the American People. Unfortunately, too many are buying it. I don't even recognize this republican party anymore. Why am I still registered as a republican?
Part of Boehners planed spending freeze does not cover defense spending. Why is it, that Defense spending is somehow sacrosanct? we account for 46.5% world defense spending, 8x more than the next closest (China) and more than the next 14 nations combined (38.8%) (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Yearbook 2010).
I'm not advocating for huge cuts to defense spending, but it seems to me we put more into it than any other budget item, we spend so much more compared to everyone else, that maybe if people are serious about balanced budget and cutting debt at least extending the freeze to Defense would make sense. otherwise you are being hypocritical and fearmongering.
Well the GOP are the ones that spent money like no tomorrow
There plan will be the let me pee down your back and I will tell you it is raining ( trickle down )
The Republicants have a plan? LMAO.
This is still "trickle down economics". Keep taxes low on corporations and the wealthiest and then they will lower prices and give pay raises to the middle class. It has allready been proven this does not work, because most of the greed and wealthiest disperse the benefits to the highest in their corporations, not the middle class worker.
HELL NO THEY CAN'T! Sit down and shut up John.
So the GOP plan is literally to return to the failed policies of Bush? When will the media inform the public that the GOP has not changed a single bit?
Hey Boner, you going to cut the spending on the wars that you republican clowns started too. Or are you going to fund those off the books like Bush did? God how stupid can this country get? Don't ask, we'll see in November.
No surprise that the party of the rich is primarily interested in continuing to line the pockets of the rich. The real question is, why would anyone who makes less than $250,000 a year vote for the Republicans? Remember, they controlled all three branches of the federal government for years and did absolutely nothing to help anyone except the rich while the economy went down the drain.