foxnews/
House Republicans are charging ahead Thursday with a pair of votes aimed at averting tax hikes scheduled to kick in 12 days from now -- but the move is fraught with tactical risk, as Democrats have effectively boycotted the legislation.
The bills expected to come for a vote by Thursday evening amount to what House Speaker John Boehner is calling a "Plan B." One bill would prevent tax hikes for everyone save for those making more than $1 million. In a late decision, Republicans also introduced a bill that would temporarily replace automatic spending cuts set to hit in January.
But while GOP leaders are gradually winning the support of their rank-and-file, Democrats in both chambers, as well as President Obama, are adamantly opposed. The White House on Wednesday issued a veto threat.
Boehner and Obama had until early this week been engaged in seemingly productive talks toward a compromise package. The move to draft a "Plan B" could be aimed at strengthening Boehner's negotiating position, as he tries to extract more spending cuts and more modest tax rate hikes from the White House as part of any deal. But Democrats were so angered by the new proposal that the future of talks is unclear.
Boehner on Wednesday put the onus on the president to get Democrats on board with "Plan B."
"Tomorrow, the House will pass legislation to make permanent tax relief for nearly every American," Boehner said, during a press conference that lasted less than a minute. "Then the president will have a decision to make. He can call on the Senate Democrats to pass that bill or he can be responsible for the largest tax increase in American history."
Later in the evening, Democrats boycotted the meeting where lawmakers were setting the terms for debate on Thursday. Democrats, in a written statement, called the process "outrageous and empty," and a "hoax."
Senior administration officials accuse Boehner of at least temporarily derailing fiscal talks with the "Plan B" move. During his own press conference Wednesday, Obama urged Republicans to "peel off the partisan war paint."
Republicans, though, said the White House was being unreasonable.
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