House Speaker John Boehner's "Plan B" bill was shelved temporarily tonight after he failed to get enough Republicans to support the measure, in what was a rather embarrassing setback for the Ohio Republican.
Boehner said in a statement tonight that the House did not take up the measure because it failed to earn enough support from Republican members. The legislation has been shelved until after Christmas.
"The House did not take up the tax measure today because it did not have sufficient support from our members to pass," Boehner said in a statement. "Now it is up to the president to work with Senator Reid on legislation to avert the fiscal cliff."
"Plan B" would have seen taxes revert to higher rates on incomes above $1 million per year or more while permanently preserving the cuts for anything less. It was staunchly opposed by many conservative groups leading up to the planned vote.
The House GOP narrowly passed the Spending Reduction Act earlier in the night, 215-209. The act was tacked on in an attempt to entice House GOP members to vote for Plan B. The House had already passed this bill in May, but it was never taken up in the Senate.
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