The Hill News

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) wrote Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday to ask her to swear off using House rules to force a higher threshold for approving a GOP-proposed extension of tax cuts.

Boehner formally endorsed a request made by top GOP committee members on Monday for Democrats to pledge not to use a rules maneuver that would require a two-thirds majority in the House to adopt a Republican proposal to extend all of the tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of the year.

"With our economy struggling to create jobs, the American people will not tolerate such maneuvers on the question of tax hikes," Boehner wrote. "Using the suspension process â€" which requires a two-third vote in the House to pass legislation instead of a simple majority vote â€" as the vehicle for a vote on legislation that would stop President Obama’s tax hike on all tax-paying Americans would be an obvious attempt to circumvent the will of the H! ouse by denying Republican and many Democratic members their right to offer an alternative proposal."

Republicans fear Democrats might use the rules process to essentially deprive the GOP of an opportunity to force a vote to extend tax cuts. Democratic leaders, led by President Obama, favor letting tax rates rise next year for households earning more than $250,000 and individuals earning more than $200,000.

But a number of centrist Democrats have emerged to say they, like Republicans, favor extending even the high-end tax cuts temporarily, if not permanently. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Monday that Republicans think they have the votes in the House to pass the extension if they were allowed the vote.

Boehner's letter and the Republican effort to pressure Pelosi against the maneuver are part of an effort to set the stage for the tax fight in Congress, which could become a critical factor in November if Congress takes up the issue before! the elections.

Republicans are also somewhat embo! ldened b y their success in preventing Democrats from using a rules vote to get their way during the healthcare debate, though the GOP did end up falling short in their effort to stop the underlying health reform bill.

Find the entirety of Boehner's letter below:

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