WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday rejected tax increases as part of an effort to reduce the nation's debt, delivering his prescription for a congressional deficit-cutting committee ahead of a competing presentation by President Obama next week.

Boehner urged the new bipartisan supercommittee to focus on cuts in federal spending and entitlement programs to slow the growth of government. He said tax increases should be "off the table" as the committee, co-led by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., works toward a late-November deadline.

"It's a very simple equation," Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a speech to the Economic Club of Washington. "Tax increases destroy jobs. And the joint committee is a jobs committee."

He warned against the use of what he called "gimmicks" to lower the debt. But he hinted there might be areas for compromise.

He said the committee should include proposals to close tax loopholes as part of a broader overhaul that lowers personal and business tax rates. "Yes, tax reform should include closing loopholes," he said.

Boehner also criticized a common talking point of some tea-party members: that cuts in spending designed to take place in later years are not real, meaningful cuts.

He called that idea a myth that needed to be put to rest for the committee to be free to do its work effectively.

Hecalled on members in both parties to end the "name-calling, the yelling and the questioning of others' motives." But he also offered a tough appraisal as the president continues to press his case for his jobs plan.

Boehner called it a "poor substitute" for pro-growth policies and accused Obama of offering "initiatives that seem to have more to do with the next election than the next generation."

The White House press secretary, Jay Carney, said late Thursday: "Any plan to grow the economy and create jobs should be measured by whether it puts money in the pockets of middle-class families, puts teachers, police officers, firefighters and construction workers back to work, and invests in our small businesses so they can grow and hire."

Separately, Carney said Obama will not recommend any budget savings from Social Security when he releases his recommendations to the deficit committee next week, despite signaling support for that idea in earlier debt-reduction talks with Boehner.

The day's events highlighted the extent to which the committee of 12 lawmakers is likely to be guided by the views of the most senior leaders in both political parties as it tries to develop legislation to reduce deficits by at least $1.2 trillion over a decade.

The panel held a closed-door meeting during the day, but officials declined to provide details of what was discussed.

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.