Research Briefing

They Said It! White House Admits Buffett Rule Is Purely For Politics, Won't Offer More Details

ABC News’ Jake Tapper: “A couple of questions here. First of all, are we going to get any details, is the public going to get any details about the so called Buffett Rule before the budget, or is it going to be in the budget?”

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney: “I don’t have -- I wouldn’t anticipate more details from us prior to the budget. The Buffett Rule as you know, as the president described it in the State of the Union, and certainly as Mr. Buffett described it, is a principle that will guide the president’s approach to tax reform. And that principle is, is simply that it’s not, in an environment like the one we live in, where we have important investments that we need to pay for, whether it’s national security or investments in education, innovation, everyone needs to pay their fair share. And it’s not, it’s not fair to have a tax code, that because of loopholes and other things within it, where you have a millionaire and a billionaire paying a lower effective tax rate than some sizable number of middle class Americans.”

Tapper: “Are we going to get details?”

Carney: “I think you will get more details but not prior to the budget, I don’t anticipate them.”

Reporter: “Will it be scored by the CBO?”

Carney: “Yeah, I don’t have any more details on that for you.”

(White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, White House Press Briefing, 1/30/12)