House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday said that the House will vote next week on a Democratic-backed tax plan that narrowly passed the Senate.
“If our Democratic colleagues want to offer the president’s plan or the Senate Democrat plan, we’re more than happy to give them a vote,” Boehner said at his weekly press conference with reporters.
House Republicans are expected to pass a measure that would extend the current tax rates for all income brackets. But Wednesday’s action in the Senate will undoubtedly provide House Democrats with some leverage they can employ during their debate with the GOP over dueling tax plans.
What the Senate accomplished was largely symbolic, but it has House Democrats drooling over the opportunity to put Republicans in the hot seat. With Republicans facing a veto threat from the White House, Democrats hope to persuade more moderate conservatives to vote for a tax plan that extends current tax rates solely for American families earning $250,000 or less.
GOP leaders in the House aren’t budging and Boehner seemed pretty optimistic that the Senate-passed tax plan being pushed by Democrats will fall short.
“Next week, the House will vote to stop the small business tax hike,” he said. “We’ll give the Democrats the opportunity to vote for the president’s small business tax hike. And if they do, I think the American people will hold them accountable.”
