McConnell Not Thrilled with Boehner's Fiscal Cliff Plan

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the upper congressional chamber’s top Republican, wouldn’t throw his weight behind House Speaker John Boehner’s most recent fiscal cliff plan on Tuesday.

McConnell told Breitbart News’ Kerry Picket that he’d rather not raise taxes on any Americans, as opposed to Boehner’s “plan B” which would raise taxes those making more than $1 million per year.

“I certainly would not support raising taxes on 98 percent of taxpayers. I also don’t support raising taxes on any taxpayers,” McConnell said, noting that Senate Republicans “have been largely unified on that for some time.”

House Republicans, on the other hand, are split. Many have said they’ll abandon their Americans for Tax Reform pledge to not raise tax rates on anyone. And Boehner has reportedly offered several deals behind closed doors with President Obama that would raise tax rates.

McConnell added that he “can’t imagine that I would not be supportive of a proposal that had permanent tax reductions for a substantial proportion of the American taxpaying public.” But, he added, “my own view would be to not raise taxes on anyone,” McConnell said.

McConnell said Senate Republicans’ “goal here is to prevent taxes from going up on anybody at the end of the year because if we don’t, under current law that will happen.”

“So it requires action in advance so we’ll look at what the House sends over,” McConnell said. “I think it’s great that they’re going to send over a proposal that apparently it makes permanent the tax rates that Sen. Blunt was talking about during the Bush years for 98 percent of Americans. My preference would be for that rate to be applied to all taxpayers.”

McConnell said that though his view is to not raise taxes on anyone, the Senate “will deal with the package that comes over from the House” and that Senate Democrats “will obviously have a chance to change it and we’ll see what they want to do when it comes over.”

McConnell’s tepid lack of support of Boehner’s plan comes on the heels of Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio expressing concerns over it earlier on Tuesday.