Obama presses Congress to avert fiscal cliff

Obama presses Congress to avert fiscal cliff

AP Photo DCJM101

%reldate(2012-11-17T11:02:22 Eds: APNewsNow. With AP Photos. AP Video.

By MATTHEW DALY

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is urging Congress anew to approve legislation that ensures taxes don’t go up on 98 percent of all Americans, families earning less than $250,000 a year.

Obama again used his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday to urge action to avert the so-called fiscal cliff, which would raise taxes on all Americans and cut spending across the board starting Jan. 1.

Obama says he had a constructive meeting with congressional leaders Friday as officials look for ways to reduce the federal deficit and strengthen the economy.

New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte says in the Republican response that failure to act on the fiscal cliff is not an option. She says any effort to address the crisis without reforming entitlements such as Social Security “can’t be taken seriously.”

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Online

Obama address: http://www.whitehouse.gov

Republican address: http://www.youtube.com/gopweeklyaddress