The House minority leader over the weekend slammed Republicans for using the term "class warfare" as a criticism of the administration's policies, calling it a "defense" for their position.

Republicans have charged that President Obama's plan to tax the wealthy in order to pay for his deficit-reduction plan is the administration engaging in class warfare. The GOP has indicated resistance to taxing the wealthy, saying it would unfairly punish job creators.

"Am I missing something here?" Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asked Sunday at the 2011 New Yorker Festival. "That is an illegitimate charge in a country that has life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in its founding documents."