'We are waiting on the Senate,' Speaker John Boehner told lawmakers. Behind Boehner's fiscal cliff strategy

House Speaker John Boehner told House Republicans that he’s “not interested” in passing a fiscal cliff deal with “mostly Democrat votes,” his most direct comments about how he’ll manage the remaining negotiations over tax increases and spending cuts.

Boehner’s comment is significant because it means he is going to push for an agreement that most of the 241 House Republican could support. Just a week ago, rank-and-file Republicans rejected a Boehner-authored proposal that would have extended tax breaks on income of less than $1 million — a number far higher than what they would get under plans offered by President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).


( PHOTOS: Fiscal cliff's key players)

On Thursday’s conference call, which almost all House Republicans dialed in to, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told lawmakers to “plan on being in town through the following week to conduct the business at hand,” according to a source. Sunday is Dec. 30, one day before the nation reaches the fiscal cliff.

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) wished lawmakers “‘Merry Christmas,’ and we’ll look forward to spending New Year’s [Day] together.”

The details of the Republican conference call were described by several sources to POLITICO.

Boehner’s message to House Republicans was the same as what he’s saying privately to other party leaders. Boehner said the nation is “on the edge of the fiscal cliff” and added that the Senate hasn’t given the House a reason to return.

“We are waiting on the Senate,” the Ohio Republican told lawmakers.

He added that the Senate needs to pass bills and then “the House will then consider whether to accept the bills as amended, or to send them back to the Senate with additional amendments. The House will take this action on whatever the Senate can pass — but the Senate must act.”

But the Ohio Republican also offered some new details to his Republican colleagues.

Rep. Tim Griffin (R-Ark.) asked about the debt limit and what leverage that gives House Republicans. Boehner said he still sees February and March as the true deadline.

The optics of not being in Washington are still of concern to House Republicans. Members were worried about being hammered in the press for not being in Washington. The Senate is in town at least Thursday and Friday, and Obama returned from Hawaii to deal with the fiscal cliff.

Several lawmakers complimented Boehner for his work on the cliff. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) praised House leaders for their joint statement this week that the Senate hasn’t acted. He said that Reid going to the floor “name callin’ shows that he’s desperate,” sources said.

Boehner’s move on bringing the House back into session on Sunday — the first time members have been together since the speaker’s “Plan B” gamble failed last week — is an attempt to protect Republicans from getting blamed if the country goes over the fiscal cliff, which looks more likely by the hour.

( Also on POLITICO: House will return as cliff anxiety grips Washington)

“The House has acted on two bills that collectively would avert the entire fiscal cliff. We passed H.R. 8 at the beginning of August to stop all of the tax rate increases that are set to occur on Jan. 1 under current law. And we’ve passed legislation to replace the entire sequester with responsible spending cuts,” Boehner said during the call, according to a source who took part in the discussions.

There have been continued staff-level discussions on Thursday, but neither side has put any new offer on the table in order to break the deadlock.