DC Download: This week’s ‘Cliff’ notes

(LIN) — While Congress and the White House are still trying to reach an agreement on how to solve our country’s debt crisis, many stories emerged this week surrounding the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

Since it can be a little overwhelming trying to keep up with it all, here are the cliff-related highlights you might have missed this week.

‘I've got a pen. I'm ready to sign’             

President Barack Obama addressed the country Wednesday, pushing his plan to increase taxes on wealthier Americans to avoid raising taxes on the middle class.  He reported that the Senate has already passed legislation to extend current rates to the middle class, and that its fate lies in the hands of House Republicans. Obama said he’s ready to sign the bill as soon as Congress sends it his way.

Boehner, GOP senators still holding strong

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, met with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner Thursday and expressed to Geithner that Democrats are not outlining any budget cuts that would help the country avert the so-called “fiscal cliff,” which could send the country into recession.  Boehner says Republicans are willing to endorse higher tax revenues, but only as part of a plan that also includes savings from Medicare and other government programs. "It's time for the president and Democrats to get serious about the spending problem that our country has," Boehner said Wednesday.

Romney, Obama do lunch

For the first time since the election, Obama and Mitt Romney met face to face during a lunch meeting at the White House amidst ongoing “fiscal cliff” talks.  White House spokesman Jay Carney said the discussion centered on America’s leadership in the world. "Governor Romney congratulated the president for the success of his campaign and wished him well over the coming four years," Carney said. "They  pledged to stay in touch , particularly if opportunities to work together on shared interests arise in the future."

#my2K

As part of his public appeal, Obama is urging the public to use #my2K on Twitter to tell Congress how tax increases would affect them and their families. The hashtag is a reference to the estimated $2,200 tax increase a typical middle-class family of four would see should Bush tax cuts expire. “Call your members of Congress, write the an email, post it on their Facebook walls. You can tweet it using the hashtag #my2K,” Obama said Wednesday. “When the American people speak loudly enough, lo and behold, Congress listens.”

Meanwhile, $1 coin could save billions

On Thursday, a House Financial Services committee heard a proposal to change our $1 currency from a paper bill to a coin. The move, sponsors say, can save billions of dollars, which can be used to reduce the deficit. This isn’t the first time this proposition has been brought to Congress’ attention. In the past 22 years, the Government Accountability Office has advocated moving to the dollar coin seven times, citing significant budget savings.

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DC Download is a week-in-review featuring the latest news from Capitol Hill published every Friday. Get the latest political news at onPolitix.com, and join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.