Senator: GOP could accept higher taxes on wealthy
Corker: Rank-and-file GOP would support tax hikes on rich in exchange for entitlement changes
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio gestures as he speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012, to discuss the pending fiscal cliff. Boehner said there's been no progress in negotiations on how to avoid the fiscal cliff of tax hikes and spending cuts and called on President Barack Obama to come up with a new offer. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican Sen. Bob Corker says he and probably many other GOP senators would consider raising the top tax rate paid by the wealthiest Americans if it meant reforming big entitlement programs such as Medicare.
Such a compromise would represent some movement in the postelection negotiations between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans to avert the "fiscal cliff" set to kick in by month's end.
Corker is a solid fiscal conservative and bellwether for what other rank-and-file Republicans might support. The Tennessee lawmaker told "Fox News Sunday" that raising the top tax rate to 39.6 percent could be done so that negotiators could shift their focus on entitlement spending.
