Kansas Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp told Breitbart News he’s seriously concerned about Boehner’s fiscal cliff “plan B.” Huelskamp, a freshman, is emerging as a conservative leader after House Speaker John Boehner purged him from two fiscally focused committees.
Boehner’s plan, a reincarnation of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s May 2012 effort to raise taxes on Americans making more than $1 million per year, has come under fire from Republicans and Democrats alike. The White House rejected the plan, arguing Boehner didn’t cave on GOP principles far enough and raise taxes on even more people, and Republicans worry that that the plan is a step in the wrong direction for the party and the country.
Huelskamp said he’s worried that Boehner’s push to make Republicans compromise their principles will have drastic negative effects on the party heading into the next election cycle – especially after such compromises certainly didn’t help the GOP in 2012 or in 2006.
“So the GOP strategy is to wipe the dust off the Pelosi plan, and ask Republicans to break the promises they made to voters?” Huelskamp said in an email to Breitbart News. “It didn’t work in 2006 and it didn’t work in 2012, and it certainly will not work with the voters in 2014.”
Conservative Republican Study Committee chairman Rep. Jim Jordan echoes Huelskamp’s concerns. In a statement to Politico Monday night, Jordan warned against raising taxes.
“I’ve been clear on this — we’re the party that says we shouldn’t raise taxes. I’m not for raising taxes,” Jordan said. “What the economy needs is growth, and you’re not going to get economic growth when you’re taking money from the private sector, particularly people who are in the business of creating jobs. We need to focus on the solution to the problem, and the problem is spending, not raising taxes.”
Senate Republican leaders haven’t embraced Boehner’s decision to cave on GOP principles, either. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told Breitbart News he’d rather not raise taxes on anyone even though Boehner wants to. In an interview with Breitbart News, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said he feels the same way.
Many other congressional offices told Breitbart News they’re still reviewing the Boehner’s tax-hiking “plan B” so they don’t have any specific comment yet.
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