Looks like the idea of letting some Bush-era tax cuts expire while trying to offer a break to the middle class is getting a lukewarm reception from two top Republicans.  Rep. Eric Cantor, the Virginian in line to become House majority leader in January, nixed an idea that's been floated by President Obama and some Democrats in recent days to permanently extend tax cuts for couples earning less than $250,000 a year while temporarily keeping the rate now being paid by individuals who earn above that amount.  "I'm not raising taxes in a recession," Cantor said on Fox News Sunday. He said the proposal to temporarily extend some tax cuts while allowing others to expire amounts to "decoupling" of rates that's not a good idea.  The topics of taxes, spending cuts, the nation's spiraling debt and other budget matters came up frequently on Sunday morning talk shows.  For his part, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he's happy that Obama is showing some "flexibility," but he vows not to support anything that would eventually raise rates on small-business owners. McConnell, appearing on CBS' Face the Nation, and Cantor both noted that what's being discussed here isn't really a tax-cut proposal: What's going on is whether to keep some rates the same or to change some temporarily.  McConnell, meanwhile, said he'd "consider" a moratorium on federal funding for lawmakers' special projects known as earmarks. But he stressed that such a move -- popular with Cantor, Sen. Jim Demint, R-S.C., and other Republicans -- wouldn't really save that much money.  The watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste says there were 9,129 earmarks in the 2010 appropriations bills that amount to about $16.5 billion. By comparison: The federal deficit was about $1.3 trillion for the 2010 fiscal year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.  And he noted than any ban on earmarks should be extended to the White House, adding that Obama's $814 billion economic stimulus package was full of such earmarks.  To read our posts about budget-cutting proposals from newly elected senator Rand Paul and whether Cantor thinks it's a good idea for Rep. Nancy Pelosi to stay in the Democratic leadership, go back to the index for USA TODAY's OnPolitics blog.  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
GOP, Dems debate tax, spending cuts  - On Politics: Covering the US Congress, Governors, and the 2010 Election - USATODAY.com