Boehner's Tax Comments Spark War of Words

Sept 12, 2010 -- A war of words between the White House and House Minority Leader John Boehner erupted today over the ongoing debate on the extension of Bush-era tax cuts to the wealthy.

It began when Boehner said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that he would support extending the tax cuts for couples making less than $250,000 or individuals making less than $200,000 if there were no other option.

The White House then released a statement saying it supported Boehner's comments, but also expressing skepticism about his intentions.

"We welcome John Boehner's change in position and support for the middle class tax cuts," read White House spokesman Robert Gibbs' statement. "But time will tell if his actions will be anything but continued support for the failed policies that got us into this mess."

Boehner then responded to Gibbs in a statement released this evening:

"Raising taxes on any American, and especially small businesses, in a struggling economy is the exact wrong thing to do," he said. "There's a clear way forward, and that's for us to come together and pass legislation immediately that cuts spending to 2008 levels for the next year and stops all of the coming tax hikes by freezing all current tax rates for the next two years."

Boehner said his opinion is shared not only by a number of economists and fellow Republicans, but also by some of his Democratic colleagues.

On "Face the Nation" Boehner had signaled that he would vote for a bill to extend tax cuts to those who earn less than $200,000 per person or $250,000 per couple, even if it does not include a provision extending those tax cuts to wealthier Americans.

"If the only option I have is to vote for those at $250,000 and below, of course I'm going to do that," he said. "But I'm going to do everything I can to fight to make sure that we extend the current tax rates for all Americans."