WASHINGTON -- Democrats from the White House and beyond panned the new "Plan B" proposal of House Speaker John Boehner avoid at least the tax portion of the fiscal cliff, but anti-tax GOP House members sounded cautiously optimistic about the idea of passing a measure that allows tax hikes only on income over $1 million.

Boehner said on Tuesday that he is working up the proposal in the event that he and President Barack Obama are unable to come to a broader agreement by the looming Dec. 31 deadline, after whi

Washington (CNN) -- House Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday proposed letting tax rates go up on income above $1 million as a short-term step to avoid some of the fiscal cliff while continuing to negotiate a broader deal with President Barack Obama.
The White House and Democratic leaders immediately rejected Boehner's move, saying the focus of the incremental negotiations should be a comprehensive deficit-reduction agreement.
The back-and-forth in the halls of Congress came two weeks from the end of the year, when au

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.