Fiscal cliff: John Boehner moves forward with 'Plan B' to prevent tax rises John Boehner's Wednesday press conference The proposal, which was expected to clear the Republican-controlled House of Representatives last night, would limit tax rises to only those making more than $1 million (£600). It would also shift the pain of spending cuts away from the military budget and onto domestic programmes cherished by Democrats. Mr Obama has said he would veto the proposal, meaning it has no real chance of becoming law, but the symbolic vote is designed to pressure the White House into accepting a deal. The two sides are locked in a stalemate over tax rates for the wealthy. Mr Obama is demanding for taxes to go up on all individuals making more than $400,000 a year, while Republicans say they will only allow higher taxes for those making more than $1 million. Mr Boehner said that the passage of his "Plan B" through the House would leave Mr Obama with "a decision to make." "He can call on the Senate Democrats to pass that bill, or he can be responsible for the largest tax increase in American history," Mr Boehner warned. However, the vote also poses a test of strength for Mr Boenher within his own party. Many Republicans remain opposed to tax rises in any form and his aides were last night working to corral the votes needed to avoid an embarrassing defeat on the floor of the House. Eric Cantor, the Republican majority leader in the House, said this morning he was confident he had the votes to see the bill through. In a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Obama made an unusual acknowledgement of the difficulty his sometimes-rival had in controlling the Right-wing of his party. "There is no doubt that the Speaker has challenges in his caucus, and I recognize that," he said. Mr Obama said that many conservative members of Congress "may not see an incentive in cooperating with me" because they were more concerned about being unseated by the Tea Party movement of conservative activists. However, he said that the massacre in Connecticut should give politicians in Washington "some perspective" as the negotiations continued. "If you just pull back from the immediate political battles, if you kind of peel off the partisan war paint, then we should be able to get something done," he said.