White House Urges Nonprofits to Push for Higher Taxes on the Wealthy

Senior Obama administration officials invited nonprofit leaders to the White House this week to enlist them to push for increased taxes on the wealthy, a request that went unheeded as charity officials from across the country spent Wednesday lobbying Congress to preserve the charitable tax deduction during deficit-reduction negotiations.

The White House request put new attention on a rift that has emerged in recent weeks among charity and foundation leaders deciding how best to harness their collective advocacy as Congress and President Obama negotiate steps to avoid going off the so-called fiscal cliff.