Fiscal Cliff: Pelosi ‘Confident’ in Obama Representing House Dems
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Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call(WASHINGTON) — With negotiations narrowing to include only House Speaker John Boehner’s top policy aides and senior White House officials, cutting out the other three members of the so-called “Big Four” in Congress, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Friday expressed solidarity behind her president.
“I’m very satisfied with the communication that I have with the president,” she said. “The president knows our views. He shares our values. We feel confident in any negotiation that he takes the lead in.”
She declined to disclose when she last spoke with Obama, but she did have a photo taken with him at a White House holiday reception on Monday.
At her own Capitol news conference, which was hastily arranged after the speaker held a news conference Friday morning, Pelosi reminded reporters that time is running short and she continued to pressure Republicans to approve a middle-income tax cut.
“The only obstacle standing in the way of middle-income tax relief are the Republicans’ unwillingness to ask the top 2 percent to pay their fair share,” Pelosi said. “This is a moment of truth. The clock is ticking. Christmas is coming. The goose is getting fat. But in many homes across America, it’s very — a very, very lean time.”
“This decoupling is central to solving our fiscal challenge that we have now,” she continued. “The Senate has passed it. The president is poised to sign it. Why would they block that, except to protect the high end?”
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