Fiscal Cliff solution up to Democrats
By Russell Berman – 12/20/12 09:51 PM ET
Short of votes, House Republicans pulled Speaker John Boehner’s “Plan B” tax bill from the floor late Thursday, testing the Ohio Republican’s hold on his conference and throwing year-end efforts to avoid the fiscal cliff into further chaos.
Party leaders had voiced confidence throughout the day they had enough Republican votes to pass the measure over unified Democratic opposition, but amid mounting defections, they announced shortly before 8 p.m. that the vote would be canceled.
Pulling the bill represents a major defeat for Boehner that will give significant leverage to Obama in talks on a deal to prevent looming tax hikes and spending cuts. It suggests Boehner lacks control over a conference that has bucked him throughout this Congress.
After a closed-door conference meeting, the Speaker said it was now up to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and President Obama to find a way to avert the tax hikes and spending cuts set to be triggered in January that economist warn could start a recession. He told The Hill that the House would come back “when needed.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/274187-house-gop-pulls-plan-b