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Kyl Walks Line On Boehner's Counter-Offer

By Elahe Izadi // December 4, 2012 | 1:50 p.m.
Updated: December 4, 2012 | 1:51 p.m.

Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl isn't offering up exactly a ringing endorsement of House Speaker John Boehner’s fiscal cliff counter-offer.

While saying it was good that Boehner responded with a counter-offer and that it “demonstrates Republicans are willing to sit down and try to negotiate," Kyl said on Tuesday that the $800 billion in revenues on the table "is a big gulp."

"But as long as we’re not talking about rates, there may be a way to accomplish” that, Kyl added, while noting he hasn't combed through the specifics of the counter-offer.

A conservative backlash is brewing against Boehner’s counter-offer, with groups such as Heritage Action and American for Prosperity criticizing the GOP plan. Kyl agreed that raising revenues by taking money out of the economy would hurt job creation, but he asked “What is the least worst alternative?”

“I don’t know the answer to that question at this point,” Kyl said. “But I can’t think of very many alternatives that are worse than going over the fiscal cliff.”