http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101130-717404.html Geithner To Meet With Congressional Leaders On Hill Wednesday
By Jared A. Favole
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--White House budget director Jacob Lew and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will meet with Congressional leaders Wednesday as the White House makes its final push to broker a deal on disputed tax breaks set to expire before the end of the year.
Lew and Geithner will meet with Senators Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.) and Max Baucus (D., Mont.), Rep. Dave Camp (R., Mich.) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) sometime in the morning, a White House official said.
President Barack Obama assigned Lew and Geithner to help find common ground with Republicans on tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush. The move comes after Obama met with Congressional GOP leaders Tuesday and the two sides reiterated their opposing viewpoints on the tax issue.
Obama, and most Democrats, have said they think the tax cuts should only be extended for the middle class, or individuals making under $200,000 and families making under $250,000. Republicans have called for an across-the-board tax extension, saying anything less could imperil the country's tepid recovery. Obama has said he expects progress on the tax issue in the coming days. Obama has said he was willing to compromise on taxes, though it's unclear what shape that would take. Republicans appeared to be holding their ground on the tax debate.