Barack Obama uses radio address to pressure Republicans for fiscal cliff deal

With a month left to break the deadlock over the fiscal cliff, president Barack Obama ratcheted up the pressure on Congress on Saturday, taking his plea for action to the American public. In his weekly radio address, Obama said it was "unacceptable" that some Republicans were holding "middle-class tax cuts hostage" by refusing to increase the rate for top earners.

The president called on people to hound their local congressman or woman over the issue. "You and your family have a lot riding on this debate," he said, urging voters to call, email or tweet their representatives in Washington, demanding that they act.

Obama has called for the issue to be settled before the Christmas break, warning of a "Scrooge Christmas" if Congress fails to reach a deal that would prevent the triggering of swingeing spending cuts and tax hikes. But despite intermittent optimism from Democrats and Republicans, both sides have failed to get close to agreement on a package of revenue increases and measures to avert the so-called fiscal cliff.

Obama is demanding that any deal must include higher tax rates on couples earning more than $250,000 a year. He also wants to keep in place the smaller tax burden that lower-income earners have had for about a decade.

Speaking on Saturday morning, the president warned that if Congress fails to act, every household will see their income taxes go up, with a typical family of four having to pay an additional $2,200. "We can't let that happen. Our families can't afford it, and neither can the economy," Obama said.

But Republicans in Washington have yet to budge from their opposition to tax increases for the rich. House speaker John Boehner has argued that Obama's plan to raise revenue by $1.6tn over the next decade would be a "crippling blow" to the US economy.

In a downbeat assessment of the current round of bipartisan talks, Boehner said Friday: "There's a stalemate. Let's not kid ourselves. Right now, we're almost nowhere."

If the fiscal cliff is not avoided, Obama is intent on pinning the blame on Republicans. During Saturday's radio address, he said Democrats were ready to pass legislation to avert triggering the the fiscal cliff.

"And if we can just get a few House Republicans on board, I'll sign this bill as soon as Congress sends it my way," he said.

But House Republicans have indicated that the latest package being put forward by the president – which offers $50bn in additional stimulus spending and $400bn in Medicare cuts alongside the $1.6tn hike in tax revenues – is a non-starter. GOP representatives have said they are open to raising new tax revenue through the closing of loopholes, but are not willing to approve higher rates.

The austerity measures that would automatically be triggered if a deal is not in place by 1 January could be catastrophic for the fragile Us economic recovery, experts have said. Obama said yesterday that an agreement can be reached, but that it would need both sides of the political the venture out of their "comfort zones".