While there are no negotiations scheduled with congressional leaders on the so-called “fiscal cliff,” President Obama is conducting interviews Thursday with four television stations around the country to make his case for higher taxes on top earners.
Mr. Obama will sit for interviews at the White House with TV reporters from Philadelphia, Miami, Minneapolis and Sacramento. The president has been waging a campaign-style effort with the public to pressure House Republican lawmakers to accept his proposal to extend tax cuts only for families earning less than $250,000 per year.
Negotiators reported no progress in recent days on efforts to avert a $500 billion mix of tax hikes and steep spending cuts due to take effect on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2. Economists have warned that a prolonged stalemate could lead to another recession.
Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said Wednesday after speaking with the president that the two sides have “serious differences.”
