"Early Start" host Soledad O'Brien clashed with Sen. Pat Toomey during the CNN morning show on Tuesday.
Toomey, who serves on the Joint Economic and Budget Committee, appeared on the program to discuss President Barack Obama's 2013 budget proposal. After Toomey criticized the President's proposal, O'Brien asked to discuss Toomey's deficit plan. "Early Start" producers put up a graphic that highlighted key points from the Senator's proposal based on an analysis from the non-partisan research and policy institute, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
O'Brien first stated that Toomey proposed tax cuts for the wealthy. "For people who are making under $200,000, taxes would rise," O'Brien said, speaking of the Senator's deficit plan. "You would limit the child credit," O'Brien continued. "Ok, wait a minute. I have to stop you because that's factually ridiculous," Toomey said, interrupting O'Brien.
"Really? Ok," O'Brien said. "Yeah, factually wrong and ridiculous and not close," Toomey pressed. O'Brien asked him to discuss which part was incorrect. "Raising taxes on people whose income is lower than $200,000," he said. Toomey stressed that he proposed making the current tax rates permanent. "What I would like to do is...simplify the tax code...broaden the base on which we apply taxes, but do it lower rates for everybody."
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "taxpayers who make under $200,000 would see their tax bills rise, on average, compared to current policies." The analysis was published in November 2011.