The Hill News

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said Friday she would "stay open-minded" about extending the full range of Bush tax cuts for middle- and high-income Americans.

"A one-year tax extension in this economy probably would be good," she told the Fox Business Network. "But we may not be able to afford it, and there might not be enough concessions on the other side to make that happen, so we'll see."

She noted that the deficit incurred by an extension for high earners â€" or anyone making more than  $250,000 â€" would have to be recouped by raising revenues in other ways. The White House estimates a tax-break extension for those earners would cost about $700 billion over 10 years, or $30 billion into next year.

Landrieu is among a group! of moderate Democrats who have voiced full or partial support for extending the cuts.

She said Friday she knows a full extension is "not the president's position â€" I think he thinks that we just don't have the money to do that."

"But," she added, "if it could be part of some kind of compromise that could get this very troubling issue resolved, I'm going to say open-minded to it."