Ryan to vote yes on 'Plan B' tax plan

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the House Republican budget chief and 2012 vice presidential nominee, will support Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) “Plan B” legislation that would allow taxes to rise on income over $1 million, a spokesman told The Hill on Wednesday.

“Chairman Ryan will continue to work to protect as many Americans as possible from tax hikes,” Ryan aide Conor Sweeney said. “Chairman Ryan believes that Speaker Boehner’s ‘Plan B’ meets that criteria.”

Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, has kept a low profile on Capitol Hill since the election and had not commented on Boehner’s proposal, which seeks to make current tax rates for income below $1 million permanent.

Boehner has kept Ryan in the loop on his negotiations with President Obama by inviting him and two other senior committee chairmen to daily planning sessions with the House Republican leadership team.

Conservative groups including Heritage Action and the Club for Growth are rallying against the Speaker’s plan because it increases taxes. Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform gave its blessing to the proposal on Wednesday, saying it would not violate the pledge that most Republicans have taken to oppose tax increases.

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