Boehner aide: Tax comments were to avoid ‘trap' of defending 'Big Oil'

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), in an interview with ABC News, left the door open Monday to ending some tax incentives for major oil-and-gas companies.

But it’s apparently not open very wide. In a statement, Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said the Speaker was avoiding a political trap during the interview.

“The Speaker made clear in the interview that raising taxes was a non-starter, and he’s told the president that. He simply wasn’t going to take the bait and fall into the trap of defending 'Big Oil' companies. Boehner believes, as he stated in the interview, that expanding American energy production will help lower gas prices and create more American jobs. We'll look at any reasonable policy that lowers gas prices. Unfortunately, what the president has suggested so far would simply raise taxes and increase the price at the pump.”

Boehner said during the ABC interview that Congress should look at ending the tax credits for some of the larger oil companies. 

"I don't think the big oil companies need to have the oil depletion allowances, but for small, independent oil-and-gas producers, if they didn't have this, there'd be even less exploration in America than there is today," Boehner said during the ABC interview.

Democrats have targeted many of the oil subsidies for elimination. Asked about the push to end what the White House calls $4 billion annually in subsidies, Boehner said, "I think we gotta take a look at it."