US House may return as soon as Dec 27 with a new plan-aide

WASHINGTON Dec 20 (Reuters) - The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives, which abruptly recessed on late Thursday after failing to muster enough support for a "fiscal cliff" bill, may return as soon as Dec. 27 with a yet-to-be-decided new plan, said a senior party aide.

The aide, asking not to be identified by name, said House Republicans were "a few votes short" of the number needed to pass the tax plan offered by House Speaker John Boehner. But the aide added, "the overwhelming majority of the conference was with him."