Speaker Mike Johnson is working to pass President Trump's agenda via the budget reconciliation process (Getty Images)
"I'm not a big fan of doing that. I mean, we're the Republican Party and we're for tax reduction for everyone," Johnson said on "Sunday Morning Futures."
One GOP lawmaker asked about the proposal and granted anonymity to speak candidly said they would be open to supporting it but preferred a higher starting point than $1 million.
They said the reaction was "mixed" among other House Republicans. But not all House GOP lawmakers are privy to the discussions, and it's not immediately clear how wide the proposal has been circulated.
Nevertheless, it signals that Republicans are deeply divided on how to go about enacting Trump's tax agenda.
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Extending Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and enacting his newer tax proposals is a cornerstone of Republicans' plans for the budget reconciliation process.
By lowering the Senate's threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, it allows the party in power to skirt opposition to pass a sweeping piece of legislation advancing its own priorities – provided the measures deal with tax, spending, or the national debt.
Extending Trump's tax cuts is expected to cost trillions of dollars alone. But even if Republicans use a budgetary calculation to hide its cost, known as current policy baseline, they will still have to find a path forward for new policies eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay, and retirees' Social Security checks.
Hiking taxes on the ultra-wealthy could also serve to put Democrats in a tricky political situation in forcing them to choose between supporting Trump's policies and opposing an idea they've pushed for years.
House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris signaled openness to the idea (Getty Images)
"That's why you hear all kind of ideas being bounced around. And if we take no action, then you'd have over 90% of Americans see a tax increase," Scalise warned.
Bloomberg News was first to report House Republicans' 40% tax hike proposal.
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When reached for comment, the White House pointed Fox News Digital to comments by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier on Tuesday when she said Trump had not made up his mind on another proposal to raise the corporate tax rate.
"I've seen this idea proposed. I've heard this idea discussed. But I don't believe the president has made a determination on whether he supports it or not," Leavitt said.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Johnson's office for comment.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-quietly-floats-millionaire-tax-hike-proposal-congress-gop-leaders-signal-opposition