Boehner: Cut programs, don't raise taxes

House Speaker John Boehner urged Congress Saturday to move quickly to create jobs and reduce taxes before automatic tax increases and spending cuts take effect. In the GOP's first weekly address since the re-election of President Barack Obama, Boehner repeated the Republican fiscal stance that was the GOP mantra during the presidential campaign, The Hill reported. "Let's focus on tax reform that closes special interest loopholes and lowers tax rates," he said. "Instead of accepting arbitrary cuts that will endanger our national defense, let's get serious about shoring up the entitlement programs that are the primary drivers of our country's massive, growing debt." "This framework can lead to common ground," he added. "Because if there was a mandate in this election, it was a mandate to work together to do what's in the best interest of our country." Boehner reiterated the Republican resistance to raising tax rates for Americans making more than $250,000, charging that doing so would destroy 700,000 American jobs. In his weekly address, Obama said Saturday, "the message you sent was clear: you voted for action, not politics as usual." On Friday, the White House announced the president had invited Boehner and other top congressional leaders to in-person negotiations.