WASHINGTON – President Obama will launch a push to extend middle-class tax cuts in a Monday address from the White House.
An Obama campaign official confirmed the impending announcement to Fox News. A senior administration official tells The Associated Press Obama will call for a one-year extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for people making less than $250,000 a year.
House Republicans have been pushing for an extension of the tax cuts for everyone, not just the middle class. They also are fighting to keep reductions on wealthier income earners.
The president has made what he refers to as "tax fairness" a key aspect of his re-election bid, saying his presumed Republican challenger Mitt Romney favors tax cuts for the rich. He has repeatedly urged Congress to make tax cuts on middle-income earners permanent.
An official at Obama's re-election campaign says it will promote the president's economic agenda in a series of events this week in battleground states, including New Hampshire, Colorado and Nevada. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to preview Obama's announcement.
The tax cuts enacted by Obama's Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, will expire on January 1 without congressional action, part of a so-called fiscal cliff that potentially could hit the U.S. economy alongside deep automatic spending cuts.
Fox News' Ed Henry, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
