Boehner agrees with the Chamber of Commerce that taxpayers should pay for oil spill cleanup.

By Pat Garofalo Late last month, Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue said that he feels its appropriate for taxpayers to cover some of the costs of cleaning up the Gulf Coast in the wake of British Petroleum’s ongoing oil spill. “Everybody is going to contribute to this clean up. We are all going to have to do it. We are going to have to get the money from the government and from the companies and we will figure out a way to do that,” he said. Evidently, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) agrees that taxpayers should be footing the bill, as reported by TPMDC’s Brian Beutler:

In response to a question from TPMDC, House Minority Leader John Boehner backed Tom Donohue, President of the Chamber of Commerce, in saying taxpayers should help pick up the tab. “I think the people responsible in the oil spill — BP and the federal government — should take full responsibility for what’s happening there.”

Democrats in Congress are seeking to lift (or eliminate entirely) the cap on liabilities that BP has for cleaning up after its spill, which currently stands at just $75 million. “The person who makes the mistake ought to be responsible,” said Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL). “And if the penalty is that they’re going to be responsible and have to pay, they’re sure going to be a lot more careful about what they’re doing.”

Update Boehner is walking back his statement, with spokesman Michael Steele saying that the "responsibility" Boehner referred to "was whatever reform and restructuring comes after the leak is stopped."