House Republicans “scuttled a vote on a backup plan they had pushed as a way to partially avert steep tax increases and spending cuts next year, sending lawmakers home for Christmas as Washington lurched toward the fiscal cliff,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The sudden turn of events left efforts to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff in disarray with no clear path forward.”
Politico: “After a full day of heavy arm-twisting, House Republican leaders were unable to cobble together enough support from 217 of their 241 members for Boehner’s (R-OH) ‘Plan B’ proposal, even after Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) assured its passage. Democrats vowed not to support the measure.”
New York Times: “The decision was a major setback for the speaker, who was pushing his
so-called Plan B to prevent lower tax rates from expiring on most
Americans. It came after the House had narrowly approved a plan to
suspend planned Pentagon cuts.”
