- Tweet
- Share this
[h=3]Related News[/h]
- Wall Street edges up with help from McDonald's10:20am EST
- Obama met Boehner on Sunday over fiscal cliff: aidesSun, Dec 9 2012
- As "fiscal cliff" nears, market complacency sets inSun, Dec 9 2012
- Boehner says Obama pushing U.S. toward "fiscal cliff"Fri, Dec 7 2012
- Obama seeks $60.4 billion for Sandy repairs, states want moreFri, Dec 7 2012
[h=3]Analysis & Opinion[/h]
- Essential reading: Some in GOP urge lawmakers to back tax hikes for changes in safety-net programs, and more
- The perils of cliff-diving
[h=3]Related Topics[/h]
Credit: Reuters/Yuri Gripas
WASHINGTON | Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:10pm EST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Negotiations between the White House and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on averting the December 31 "fiscal cliff" are continuing but Republicans are awaiting a counter-offer from President Barack Obama, an aide to Boehner said on Monday.
"The Republican offer made last week remains the Republican offer," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said.
He said Boehner continues to "wait for the president to identify the spending cuts he's willing to make" in deficit-reduction negotiations.
Last week, Boehner and his House leadership team sent Obama a proposal they said would produce $2.2 trillion in new savings over 10 years. It included $800 billion in new revenues that would be achieved through comprehensive tax reform.
None of those new revenues would come from raising income tax rates on the 2 percent of families with the highest net incomes - a central Obama demand.
Democrats have rejected Boehner's proposal, insisting that tax rates on the rich must be nailed down before negotiating further on how to proceed with tax reform efforts next year, along with new spending cuts for "entitlement" programs, such as the Medicare healthcare program for the elderly.
The White House has proposed its own set of spending cuts that Republicans have rejected, arguing that they do not effectively deal with long-term rising costs of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security programs.
On Sunday, Boehner met with Obama at the White House. Steel, on Monday, said "discussions with the White House are taking place." He did not say whether more face-to-face meetings are scheduled between the two key principles in the conflict.
A Democratic aide, who asked not to be identified, said there was no indication that Sunday's talks between Obama and Boehner advanced efforts to avoid $600 billion in across-the-board tax hikes and spending cuts that are due to begin in January if Congress and the White House cannot find a more suitable replacement.
(Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Bill Trott)
- Tweet this
- Link this
- Share this
- Digg this
- Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on reuters.com.
Add yours using the box above.
