The White House on Tuesday rejected House Speaker John Boehner's call for a fall-back option to avert the looming fiscal crisis, in a move the speaker's office said "defies common sense."
The feisty exchange came as both sides crept toward a possible middle ground in private talks. But underscoring the differences that remain, the White House resisted Boehner's bid to craft a "Plan B" just in case those talks fail to yield a compromise before a Jan. 1 deadline -- that's when taxes are set to rise on everyone, followed by a wave of spending cuts.
"Every income tax filer in America is going to pay higher rates come Jan. 1 unless Congress acts," Boehner said Tuesday morning, as he introduced his alternative plan.
Boehner called for taxes to rise only on households making more than $1 million. His plan also called for entitlement cuts and a tax reform debate next year...
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