[h=3]By COREY BOLES And SIOBHAN HUGHES[/h]
Getty Images Speaker of the House John Boehner with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in Washington on Friday.
WASHINGTON—Fresh off a rebuke from his own party over an alternative fiscal cliff plan, House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) Friday said he remained willing to work with President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats to reach a deal.
"Republicans don't want taxes to go up," Mr. Boehner said at a news conference. "But we only run the House. Democrats continue to run Washington."
But Mr. Boehner provided little insight into what the next step might be in preventing the fiscal crisis from spiraling out of control.
"We'll continue to work with our colleagues in the House and the Senate," Mr. Boehner said. He added it wasn't his wish to see taxes increase at the end of the year, as will happen along with automatic spending cuts, absent an agreement that can clear Congress with President Barack Obama's support.
The House has wrapped up its work for the week, and heads into the Christmas and New Year holiday with no clear plan.
"We're prepared to come back if needed," Mr. Boehner offered. He didn't say whether he had resumed talks with Mr. Obama.
The House Speaker spoke at a news conference the morning after his "Plan B" proposal to avoid tax increases for people making less than $1 million a year collapsed in the House in the face of conservative Republican opposition.
Mr. Boehner told reporters he wasn't concerned the loss was a threat to his position as House Speaker. "No, I'm not," he said, responding to a reporter's question. "They weren't taking that out on me," he added, saying that "they were dealing with a perception that somebody might accuse them of raising taxes."
Mr. Boehner said the House has already passed bills that would avoid the fiscal cliff and urged the Senate to take them up. One bill would continue all existing tax rates for another year, a position resoundingly rejected by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. A second piece of legislation would shift the $55 billion scheduled cuts to defense spending to other parts of the federal budget, most notably on programs that provide assistance to lower income and elderly people. Democrats have also rejected that measure.
Asked what happens next, Mr. Boehner said, "I'm interested in solving the major problems that face our country, and that means House leaders, Senate leaders and the president are going to continue to have to work together to address those concerns."
"Because of the political divide here in Washington, trying to bridge these differences has been difficult," Mr. Boehner said. "If it were easy, I guarantee this would have been done decades before."
Getty Images Speaker of the House John Boehner with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in Washington on Friday.
WASHINGTON—Fresh off a rebuke from his own party over an alternative fiscal cliff plan, House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) Friday said he remained willing to work with President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats to reach a deal.
"Republicans don't want taxes to go up," Mr. Boehner said at a news conference. "But we only run the House. Democrats continue to run Washington."
But Mr. Boehner provided little insight into what the next step might be in preventing the fiscal crisis from spiraling out of control.
"We'll continue to work with our colleagues in the House and the Senate," Mr. Boehner said. He added it wasn't his wish to see taxes increase at the end of the year, as will happen along with automatic spending cuts, absent an agreement that can clear Congress with President Barack Obama's support.
The House has wrapped up its work for the week, and heads into the Christmas and New Year holiday with no clear plan.
"We're prepared to come back if needed," Mr. Boehner offered. He didn't say whether he had resumed talks with Mr. Obama.
The House Speaker spoke at a news conference the morning after his "Plan B" proposal to avoid tax increases for people making less than $1 million a year collapsed in the House in the face of conservative Republican opposition.
Mr. Boehner told reporters he wasn't concerned the loss was a threat to his position as House Speaker. "No, I'm not," he said, responding to a reporter's question. "They weren't taking that out on me," he added, saying that "they were dealing with a perception that somebody might accuse them of raising taxes."
Mr. Boehner said the House has already passed bills that would avoid the fiscal cliff and urged the Senate to take them up. One bill would continue all existing tax rates for another year, a position resoundingly rejected by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. A second piece of legislation would shift the $55 billion scheduled cuts to defense spending to other parts of the federal budget, most notably on programs that provide assistance to lower income and elderly people. Democrats have also rejected that measure.
Asked what happens next, Mr. Boehner said, "I'm interested in solving the major problems that face our country, and that means House leaders, Senate leaders and the president are going to continue to have to work together to address those concerns."
"Because of the political divide here in Washington, trying to bridge these differences has been difficult," Mr. Boehner said. "If it were easy, I guarantee this would have been done decades before."