Washington (CNN) – A week after roiling many of his fellow Republicans by suggesting he could vote to extend just middle class tax cuts, House Minority Leader John Boehner is urging Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold an "up or down vote" on extending all of the Bush era tax cuts - including those for the wealthiest Americans.
"On the issue of job-killing tax hikes the American people are not going to accept anything less than the vote they deserve," Boehner told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday.
"Anything less than that is unacceptable," he said.
Democratic leaders - including President Barack Obama - want to allow the expiration of the Bush tax cuts for those making over $250,000 a year. They argue, among other things, that the roughly $700 billion price tag of extending the cuts would be fiscally irresponsible.
Republicans contend that a tax hike on any segment of the population would damage prospects for a more robust economic recovery. They also have asserted that a tax hike on those making over $250,000 would hurt small businesses.
Boehner found himself on the defensive with many rank-and-file Republicans after stating Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he would vote for legislation extending only the tax cuts for those making under $250,000 if no alternatives were available. Since then, he has repeatedly stressed his intention to push for a full extension for at least two years.
Democratic leaders, however, have also run into problems with their rank-and-file members. Thirty-one House Democrats, most of whom face tough re-election bids this fall, have signed a letter to Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer urging them to extend expiring tax breaks for all income levels, including the wealthy.
With the midterm elections now less than two months away, top Democrats have not yet decided whether they will schedule a vote on the legislation before voters go to the polls.
The letter - written by Rep. Jim Matheson of Utah, Rep. Melissa Bean of Illinois, Rep. Glenn Nye of Virginia and Rep. Gary Peters of Michigan - echoes many of the GOP arguments. It states that after listening to economists, small businesses and families over recent weeks, they are concerned that "raising any taxes right now could negatively impact economic growth."
"We believe in times of economic recovery it makes good sense to maintain things as they are in the short term, to provide families and businesses the certainty required to plan and make sound budget decisions. Providing this certainty will give small businesses, the backbone of our economic recovery, confidence and stability," the lawmakers wrote.
Hoyer said earlier this week that he would consider alternative proposals, but stressed he strongly favors allowing the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to expire.
– CNN's Deirdre Walsh and Alan Silverleib contributed to this report
From CNN Politics
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Boehner, your stupidity is anacceptable
What a doofus this orange fellow continues to be. Pandering here, pandering there. He fits right in with the idiot base that is controlling the GOP.
How do you like your "conservative" minority leader now? Welfare for the rich is his idea of conservatism. One of the major domestic policy mistakes Bush made, and Beeno wants to perpetuate it. This is the road to ever bigger deficits, and Orangeman is all for it.
Looks like he owes his allegiance to the rich, not to the American people, the Constitution, honesty, morals, or principles.
Fire this SOB.
Do you have 700 Billion? If so, go ahead and fund it!!!
How about coming up with solutions to problems hmm? At least Obama has a reason for wanting to let this laps for the wealthy while you are only thinking about your own job and tax break...
Up yours Bonehead. We've tried the "trickle down" economic plan for 8 years and it FAILED! All of our manufacturing jobs are overseas. 1 million jobs were created under GWB. I can;t call a customer service line without an Indian I can barely understand answering the phone. Take your tax cuts for the top 2% and stick them where the sun don't shine.
Mr. Bone-head the Orange man.......
You obviously have NO PLAN to help create jobs, help the middle class, or improve the economy in general.
Why shoud we listen to you???????????
Republicans time to think practically every one like the tax cut but wealthiest Americans they are not exporting Americans products they are exporting our jobs
Before Rich create jobs now rich export jobs
More people depend on food stamp and unemployment benefits. We have to balance our budget let Rich pay more tax
Hey John, listen carefully, as a conservative voter, YOU ARE WRONG. Kill the tax breaks for the wealty.
B.S. They've had those tax cuts close to a decade and WE LOST JOBS. HE LIES !!
How quickly these Republican folks forget that even their hero, Pres. Reagan, raised taxes because it was NECESSARY. These people are truly myopic ideologues who have placed dogma and party above country and the people. And yet they show no shame. Pathetic.
We should all be treated equally regardless of income. Taxing people at a higher percentage is just un-American. Tax everyone at the same rate.
Americans support allowing the tax cuts to expire for those making $250K or more by an approximately 55% to 45% margin. Where is the teatarded conservative outrage at Orangina not listening to "we the people"?
There are two very simple and obvious reasons the GOP support extending these tax cuts:
1. The Bush/GOP tax cuts are the single biggest contributing factor to the nation's debt and deficit. Extending them for 2 years will allow them to continune to be the single biggest contributing factor to the nation's debt and deficit and, since the majority of Americans are glibly misinformed tapdancing morons, they will still blame Obama for those 2 years of increased national debt and deficit when the GOP yammers incessantly about it come 2012.
2. The GOP has its face planted firmly in the laps of the rich and the giant corporations of America. I'm suprised Orangina was capable of squeeking out the above-quoted rhetoric with his mouth full. It's undeniable that the Bush/GOP tax cuts did not result in new jobs, did not prevent or delay the current economic crisis (and actually constitute a contributin cause), WERE FUNDED BY THE MIDDLE-CLASS and helped the already wealthy increase the wealth and power gap between socio-economic classes in this country. That anyone believes Orangina and his Teatard backup singers when they claim that a progressive tax system is "class warfare" is laughable considering that GOP economic and tax policies have facilitated and encouraged class warfare for decades...one that the middle-class has just about lost at this point.
It's hard for Boehner to take this hard line with any credibility, given what he said just this past Sunday on the same subject.
Show me what these people who earn over $250,000 do to create jobs. I am talking manufacturing jobs and not service jobs like waiters at country clubs. Where are these small businesses that have people earn millions of dollars? Show me what they do and how these unsatainable tax cuts will enable them to hire more workers and help the economy rebound.
Frankly, I doubt that these people really do much to support jobs or charities. Where are the wealthy and their support of soup kitchens and other social welfare organizations? I think some of these rich people don't spend enough of their money where it will help the most people - in the social support charities.
Bone head's wealthy friends don't even need the tax cuts. Avooiding taxes is just a part of the game they play. They already have all the money they could ever need. It's just a game.
And, they have NEVER made more jobs with the money they get to keep. That extra money just goes into their pockets.
Boehner knows who's pockets he has his hands in.
The rich are not "job creators." On paper perhaps, but history has shown Reagan, Bush, and Bush that "trickle down" doesn't trickle anywhere...but up.
Unless "trickle down" means trickle into the GOP campaign funds.
Extending the tax cuts is nothing more than election year theater. Let them all expire. Returning our tax rates to their previous levels is the ONLY real way to handle the deficit.
The Republicans don't want to address the deficit because it allows them to keep pointing fingers. Plus they get to pander for votes by calling expiration a "tax hike".
Wake up, America, it's all theater. It takes money to keep things runninng. You can't have a functioning Nation without taxes.
Republicans hate poor people, they are refusing to pay Black Farmers their claims that passed long ago they prefer to pay the rich no matter what? These black people were enslaved, denied every right to exist on their own, no bank loans granted for them, no education, and now this. Why can't republicans PAY blacks for the land that was taken from them? Republican not only hate black people they hate anyone who is poor. Think of the health care bill. they said it was a pay back for slavery. Can you imagine?
Continue Tax Breaks for the wealthiest Americans?
The GOP is heartless scum!
"On the issue of job-killing tax hikes "
More lies from Boehner. Just what we've come to expect. The Bush-breaks-for-the-wealthy have been in place for at least 5 years now and let's see . . . .how many jobs for middle class Americans has it saved? Oh, that's right . . . NONE! When Bush left office we were LOSING 800,000 jobs per month! Thanks Bush . . . thanks.
Hey Mr. Boehner, talk about job killing, here are the results of today's Senate vote on creating jobs for small businesses. It is easy see that the GOP is doing the jobkilling by voitng nearly unanimoulsy aganist this bill. So which side of your mouth are talking out of now?
Alphabetical by Senator Name:
Akaka (D-HI), Yea
Alexander (R-TN), Nay
Barrasso (R-WY), Nay
Baucus (D-MT), Yea
Bayh (D-IN), Yea
Begich (D-AK), Yea
Bennet (D-CO), Yea
Bennett (R-UT), Nay
Bingaman (D-NM), Yea
Bond (R-MO), Nay
Boxer (D-CA), Yea
Brown (D-OH), Yea
Brown (R-MA), Nay
Brownback (R-KS), Nay
Bunning (R-KY), Nay
Burr (R-NC), Nay
Burris (D-IL), Yea
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea
Cardin (D-MD), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Casey (D-PA), Yea
Chambliss (R-GA), Nay
Coburn (R-OK), Nay
Cochran (R-MS), Nay
Collins (R-ME), Nay
Conrad (D-ND), Yea
Corker (R-TN), Nay
Cornyn (R-TX), Nay
Crapo (R-ID), Nay
DeMint (R-SC), Nay
Dodd (D-CT), Yea
Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Durbin (D-IL), Yea
Ensign (R-NV), Nay
Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Feingold (D-WI), Yea
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Franken (D-MN), Yea
Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea
Goodwin (D-WV), Yea
Graham (R-SC), Nay
Grassley (R-IA), Nay
Gregg (R-NH), Nay
Hagan (D-NC), Yea
Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Hatch (R-UT), Nay
Hutchison (R-TX), Nay
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Johanns (R-NE), Nay
Johnson (D-SD), Yea
Kaufman (D-DE), Yea
Kerry (D-MA), Yea
Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Kyl (R-AZ), Nay
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea
Leahy (D-VT), Yea
LeMieux (R-FL), Yea
Levin (D-MI), Yea
Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
Lugar (R-IN), Nay
McCain (R-AZ), Nay
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
McConnell (R-KY), Nay
Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
Merkley (D-OR), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Murkowski (R-AK), Nay
Murray (D-WA), Yea
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Pryor (D-AR), Yea
Reed (D-RI), Yea
Reid (D-NV), Yea
Risch (R-ID), Nay
Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Sanders (I-VT), Yea
Schumer (D-NY), Yea
Sessions (R-AL), Nay
Shaheen (D-NH), Yea
Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Snowe (R-ME), Nay
Specter (D-PA), Yea
Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Tester (D-MT), Yea
Thune (R-SD), Nay
Udall (D-CO), Yea
Udall (D-NM), Yea
Vitter (R-LA), Not Voting
Voinovich (R-OH), Yea
Warner (D-VA), Yea
Webb (D-VA), Yea
Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea
Wicker (R-MS), Nay
Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Sorry tan man but I don't mind paying my fair share of taxes. The wealthy got a break and now its time that they start paying their fair share.This is exactly one of the things that got us in trouble in the first place, everybody wants services with no cuts but no one wants to pay for them. You and the tea baggers can go to Russia for all I care
Most Americans do not agree with you John.
The 2 percent who make that much money do, but not the rest of us!
If you make a quarter of a million dollars a year, you can afford to pay higher taxes.
Based on what evidence does Boner have that giving the rich tax cuts is going to produce jobs? Look at the record everyone. There are no jobs being made right now with the tax cuts in place. So putting the taxes back on are not going to kill jobs. Such baloney.