House Democrats Reject Tax Plan, Want Changes

House Democrats voted today to reject President Obama's tax deal with Republicans in its current form, but it was unclear how significantly the package might need to be changed. By voice vote in a closed caucus meeting, Democrats passed a resolution saying the tax package should not come to the House floor for consideration as written, even though no formal House bill has been drafted. The vote will at least temporarily stall what had seemed to be a grudging Democratic movement toward the tax package.

Before the caucus vote took place, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Obama's tax compromise embodies "the objective we need to reach" even though Democrats dislike several components.The 54 Democrats in the House caucus, by themselves, would not be enough to block the package, depending on how much support it gets from Republicans. Earlier, Obama said the eventual vote will determine whether the economy "moves forward or backward." (More House Democrats stories.)