House Speaker John Boehner Tuesday floated the idea of a “Plan B” approach to the looming fiscal cliff that would extend current tax rates for all but those making more than $1 million a year, but the plan was quickly panned by the White House as well as Senate and House Democrats, meaning the standoff continues.

Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., brought the idea before a meeting of House Republicans, saying that he’d prefer a deal with the White House, but has to prepare for the possibility that the sides won’t reach an agreement.

“Our hope continues to be to reach an agreement with the president on a ‘balanced’ approach that averts the fiscal cliff,” Boehner said. “What we’ve offered meets the definition of balance, but the president is not there yet.”

He was responding to a White House offer made Monday that would bring in $1.3 trillion in new revenues in exchange for about $850 billion in net spending reduction.

He said he floated “Plan B” because if Congress does not act, then “every income tax filer in America is going to pay higher rates come January.”

“I believe it’s important that we protect as many American taxpayers as we can,” he said, saying he still hopes for a broader agreement with Obama.

But the White House rejected the proposal within hours, saying Obama had put out a “balanced, reasonable proposal” Monday night.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Boehner’s “Plan B” “can’t pass the Senate and therefore will not protect middle class families, and does little to address our fiscal challenges with zero spending cuts.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was also unimpressed.

“Now is the time to show leadership, not kick the can down the road. Speaker Boehner should focus his energy on forging a large-scale deficit-reduction agreement. It would be a shame if Republicans abandoned productive negotiations due to pressure from the Tea Party, as they have time and again,” he said.

Reaction among Ohio Republicans is mixed

“I’m not doing cartwheels over it, that’s for sure,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, said about Boehner’s plan.

He said while he understands Boehner’s goal of keeping current tax rates for most Americans, but “once you bust that line and say it’s okay for some people’s taxes to go up, I think it’s a mistake for the Republican Party. I think that’s what a lot of members are struggling with.”

Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Genoa Twp., said Boehner was working hard to avoid tax increases for most Americans.

“The speaker is trying to figure out every possible way to get the majority – or as many Americans as possible – to not see their taxes go up on Jan. 1,” he said.

He said Obama would face risks if he allows the nation to go over the fiscal cliff.

“People don’t remember who Herbert Hoover’s speaker of the House was or majority leader,” he said. “It was Herbert Hoover’s economy.” Hoover was president at the start of the Great Depression.

But Boehner’s backup plan would also do nothing to prevent the sweeping, across-the-board spending cuts scheduled to go into place next year, a fact which led Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Bainbridge Twp., to say he was hoping that Boehner and Obama reached an agreement.

The cuts, he said, would be “pretty irresponsible.”

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, was also skeptical.

“I’m still pushing for an agreement,” he said. “I think a more comprehensive agreement is better for the country … I’m not ready to move on any plan other than one that has a balanced approach on spending and revenue.”

But Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington, said the backup plan would have the advantage of “getting stuff going” between the two houses of Congress.

“I think the beauty of Plan B is that it gets something moving,” he said. “Nothing happens until something passes the House and Senate, then the president decides whether he’ll sign it or veto it.”