House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer told CNBC on Friday that avoiding the "fiscal cliff" should still be the focus, but Speaker John Boehner has to realize that he can't pursue partisan solutions.
"Boehner has to come to grips with the fact that he can't do it in a partisan fashion through the House of Representatives," the Maryland congressman Hoyer told "Squawk Box."
The partisan route failed last night, Hoyer said, when Boehner was forced to pull his "Plan B" bill because it didn't have the support to pass. Soon after the scrapped vote, the House recessed until after Christmas.
Hoyer still thinks the speaker and President Barack Obama can reach an agreement to prevent the "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax increases and spending cuts in the new year.
"If we're going to go forward, we have to do it on a bipartisan basis," and Hoyer added that he's willing to work with House Republicans to achieve that goal.
Follow Matthew J. Belvedere on Twitter @Matt_SquawkCNBC
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