The Washington Times

GOP fealty to ‘no new taxes’ pledge slipping

Could be dropped for debt reduction, entitlement reform

For his part, Mr. Norquist said Mr. Boehner, Ohio Republican, and Mr. Cantor support stronger economic growth, not tax increases.

Asked Monday during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” whether he still stands by the pledge, Mr. Cantor ducked. “There’s a lot that has been said about this pledge, and I will tell you when I go to the constituents that have elected, re-elected me, it is not about that pledge. It really is about trying to solve problems,” Mr. Cantor said.

The remarks came a week after Mr. Chambliss told a Georgia television station, “I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge.”

Mr. Graham and Mr. King also broke with Mr. Norquist over the weekend.

“I agree entirely with Saxby Chambliss,” Mr. King said. “A pledge you signed 20 years ago, 18 years ago, is for that Congress. For instance, if I were in Congress in 1941, I would have signed the — I was for the declaration of war against Japan. I’m not going to attack Japan today. The world has changed, and the economic situation is different.”

Mr. Norquist countered that the pledge covers a lawmaker’s entire time in Congress.

© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus
You Might Also Like
  • President Obama speaks about national security on May 23, 2013, at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington as CODEPINK founder Medea Benjamin shouted at him from the back of the auditorium. (Associated Press)

    Obama: Al Qaeda is on ‘a path to defeat’; calls for resetting terror policy

  • IRS official Lois Lerner is sworn in on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 22, 2013, before the House Oversight Committee hearing to investigate the extra scrutiny IRS gave to tea party and other conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status. Lerner told the committee she did nothing wrong and then invoked her constitutional right to not answer lawmakers' questions. (Associated Press)

    Answers on IRS only raise more questions and calls for a special investigation

  • House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, listens to a reporter's question during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 23, 2013. (Associated Press)

    Boehner: House won’t pass Senate immigration bill

  • Celebrities In The News
  • ** FILE ** Amanda Bynes (AP Photo)

    Amanda Bynes: Actress arrested in NYC on marijuana charge

  • Backstreet Boys singer-songwriter Nick Carter has written the memoir "Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It." (AP Photo/Bird Street Books)

    Nick Carter: Backstreet Boy pens memoir

  • Debbie Reynolds: We all knew Liberace was gay

      • Independent voices from the TWT Communities

        Out and About DC

        Things to do, places to go, new spots to enjoy with friends and family from Norfolk to Washington, D.C., to Delaware and all points inbetween.