Hoyer won't promise Dems' votes

Politico reports

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer threatened Tuesday to withhold Democratic votes on a debt-ceiling deal if Republicans don’t make concessions on taxes.

“I think if what the Republicans do is to try to hold hostage the creditworthiness of the United States of America so that they can slash programs that are critically important to the American people and to stabilizing and growing the economy, the answer to that is, they ought not to expect us to support that, ” Hoyer told reporters.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is expected to need Democratic support to push a debt ceiling package over the finish line – much as he did in April with the continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown.

But House Republican leaders have insisted that they won’t accept tax increases as part of this deal.

Hoyer, who is among the eight congressional leaders talking daily with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on the contours of a deal, said Tuesday that the discussions have been “candid” and that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl – each the No. 2 in their respective caucuses – have done most of the talking.