Obama Pushes Under $250K Tax-Cut Extension With Congress back from its Fourth of July recess, President Obama today will renew his push for a one-year extension of the "Bush tax cuts" for middle-income earners, while allowing cuts for wealthier Americans to expire at the end of the year, a campaign official told ABC News. Obama will make a statement in the East Room of the White House to reiterate his position, believing tax rates should hold at current levels for individuals earning less than $250,000 a year but rise for those making more. Aides said the president will make the issue of tax fairness the centerpiece of his messaging this week in Washington and on the campaign trail, including a round of local affiliate TV interviews today and events in Iowa on Tuesday. It comes as part of a continuing effort by the president to change the subject from jobs and the economy, particularly after Friday's Labor Department report which showed lackluster growth and an unemployment rate steady at 8.2 percent. Democrats plan to push the "middle-class tax cut" message at a series of battleground events planned for this week, including press conferences with local leaders in New Hampshire, Nevada, Colorado and Florida to "discuss the president's plan for tax reform and responsibly bringing down the deficit while fighting for middle class security," the Obama campaign said. Obama's proposal for a one-year tax cut extension, limited to those making less than $250,000 a year, would put him at odds with some in his own party - including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and former President Bill Clinton - who have called for temporarily extending the current tax rates for everyone but millionaires given the state of the economy.