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Jeb Bush opposes own party on tax increases
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| Contributor | CincinnatiReds1990 |
| Last Edited | CincinnatiReds1990 Jun 01, 2012 03:53pm |
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| Category | Statement |
| Author | CNN's Ashley Killough |
| News Date | Friday, June 1, 2012 09:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | (CNN) - Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, often floated as a potential running mate for Mitt Romney, said he would favor slight tax increases in return for large cuts in spending - a compromise unpopular with many in his own party.
His comments came as Democratic lawmakers grilled Bush during his testimony before the House Budget Committee for a hearing titled, "Removing The Barriers To Free Enterprise And Economic Growth."
On Capitol Hill, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, presented a scenario to Bush, asking if he would accept a deficit reduction deal that included one dollar of new taxes for every ten dollars of spending cuts.
The same question was asked last summer at a GOP presidential debate. All eight candidates on stage, including Romney, said they would oppose such an agreement.
Bush, however, suggested he was open to the idea on Friday.
"Ten to one?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," Doggett replied.
"Yeah, this will prove I am not running for anything," he said. "If you could bring to me a majority of people to say that we are going to have ten dollars of spending cuts for one dollar of revenue enhancement - put me in coach."
His comments come as Congress faces a so-called "fiscal cliff" at the end of the year, in which Republicans and Democrats will have to reach a deficit-reduction deal to raise the debt ceiling.
Given the nature of recent political rhetoric, lawmakers are expected to face another similar, highly-charged showdown as last summer when Congress barely reached a deal in time to avoid a government default.
While some bipartisan committees have recommended that both spending cuts and tax revenues need to place, some Republicans have stood firm against increasing taxes.
When pressed in the hearing, Bush said he also disagreed with popular pledges authored by Washington anti-tax heavyweight Grover Norquist and his group, Americans for Tax Reform.
"I ran for office three times. The pledge was presented to me three times. I never |
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