There wasn’t much for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican, to cheer or clap about during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday.
The president directly addressed Republican members of Congress several times throughout his speech. At several points he asked them to send him bills which he pledged to “sign right away.”
However towards the end of his speech, the president addressed the bipartisan divide that lead to several near government shutdowns in 2011, as he told the audience that none of the matters he discussed Tuesday would get done without the support of Congress.
Many House Republicans were not pleased with the president’s continued push to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans. Mr. Obama talked of “economic fairness” for the middle class and tax reforms that would address problems like billionaire investor Warren Buffett paying a lower tax rate than his secretary.
The president’s wife welcomed Mr. Buffett’s secretary, Debbie Bosanek as a guest in her box at the House of Representatives to witness the president’s speech. She provides a stark contrast for Democrats to present as an example for a need of tax reform, compared to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney who Democrats are calling an example of why tax reform is needed.
Mr. Romney released his 2010 tax returns the same day as the president’s State of the Union address. The returns showed that he pays a much lower tax rate than middle class Americans like Ms. Bosanek.
Several House Republicans continue to refer the president’s continued push for his proposed “millionaire’s tax” as nothing more than “class warfare.”
Mr. Cantor was among the House Republicans to address the presence of Mr. Buffett’s secretary at the speech.
“I care about Warren Buffett’s secretary,” said Mr. Cantor in an interview on CBS News Wednesday. “I want her to do well. I want her to do better just as I think that everybody in this country should have an opportunity to achieve and pursue their dream.”
The House majority leader’s comments echoed those of Indiana Republican Governor Mitch Daniels, who delivered the official Republican response to the president’s State of the Union address. Mr. Daniels also stated that the president’s push for a “millionaire’s tax” is divisive of Americans, and that Congress should focus more on helping “all” taxpayers.
The president seemed to be addressing Mr. Cantor and other House Republicans when he asked Congress to get the payroll tax cut extension passed for a solid year. Mr. Cantor was among the House Republicans who lead the Republican opposition for an extension of the payroll tax cut in December that did not include a provision to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline project.
The Virginia Republican lawmaker also appeared on CNN Wednesday, where he told CNN anchor Soledad O’brien that House Republicans do want to help the middle class, but that they do not want to raise taxes on “anyone.”
Mr. Cantor also added that taxpayers should blame the Obama administration for the perceived unfairness in the U.S. tax code that has come to light in recent months.
“The reality is the reason why Warren Buffett’s secretary and so many millions of other Americans are frustrated is they see policies that have been promoted for the last three years by this White House that, frankly, don’t work,” said Mr. Cantor.
