Boehner, McConnell to '60 Minutes': Obama Proposals DOA

President Barack Obama's proposals for higher taxes on the rich, a federal minimum wage hike and free community college for millions will go nowhere in the House or Senate, the two Republican leaders of Congress told "60 Minutes" in a segment previewed on Thursday on the "CBS Evening News."

"Dead. Real dead," is how House Speaker John Boehner described Obama's call for higher taxes.

But Obama's idea to triple the federal child-care tax credit, also floated on Tuesday night in the State of the Union address to Congress, could get a serious hearing, the Ohio Republican told Scott Pelley.

"We’re all for helping working class families around America," said Boehner. "I think we’ll take a look at this when he sends his budget up — something that could be looked at in the overall context of simplifying our tax code and bringing rates down for everyone."

Boehner joined the new Senate Majority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, for what CBS News called the duo's first joint interview since Congress reconvened this month, and with Republican majorities in both chambers after Democrats were routed in the fall elections.

McConnell identified trade pacts as another area of possible agreement with the White House.

But both shot down Obama's State of the Union requests for free community college tuition and higher taxes on big earners as part of a package to boost the middle class.

"Why would he want to raise taxes on people?" said Boehner. "There’s no free lunch, and the president wants to raise taxes because he wants to increase Washington spending."

"We added more debt during the Obama years than all the presidents from George Washington down to George Bush," said McConnell. "The last thing we need to do to these young people is add more debt, and giving away free tuition strikes me as something we can’t afford."

Boehner also shot down Obama's proposed minimum wage increase as "a bad idea."

"I’ve had every kind of rotten job you can imagine growing up and getting myself through school," said Boehner, "and I wouldn’t have had a chance at half those jobs if the federal government had kept imposing higher minimum wage. Low income jobs help people get skills and they can climb the economic ladder."

The full interview airs on Sunday.

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