Following House Republican Leader John Boehner’s new flexibility on tax cuts during a “Face the Nation” interview, he and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs traded statements Sunday evening as the two sides sought to box in the other.
From the White House – “Statement by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Representative Boehner’s Change in Position on Tax Cuts for the Middle Class: We welcome John Boehner’s change in position and support for the middle class tax cuts, but time will tell if his actions will be anything but continued support for the failed policies that got us into this mess.”
From Boehner’s office — “Boehner Responds to Statement by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on President Obama’s Job-Killing Tax Hike: Raising taxes on any American, and especially small businesses, in a struggling economy is the exact wrong thing to do, a position shared by not only by my Republican colleagues, and several of my Democratic colleagues, but by a vast number of economists.
“If the president is serious about job creation, there’s a clear way forward, and that’s for us to come together and pass legislation immediately that cuts spending to 2008 levels for the next year and stops all of the coming tax hikes by freezing all current tax rates for the next two years. Anything short of that may selfishly check a political box for the president, but it fails the American people.
“Instead of resorting to tired old class warfare rhetoric, pitting one working American against another, the president and the Democratic leadership should start working with us this week to ensure a fair and open debate to pass legislation to cut spending and freeze tax rates without any further delay.”
Full Story: Gibbs, Boehner trade shots – Mike Allen – POLITICO.com