President Donald Trump says he will sign “maybe the biggest tax cut we've ever had,” and top Republicans keep pledging he will do it by Christmas.
Trump has promised his tax reform will help the middle class, make the United States more competitive internationally, and lead to almost unprecedented economic growth in the years to come. And he’s promised to eliminate the federal debt in eight years while he’s at it.
Getting through that list of promises is politically impossible, but even coming anywhere close to it in the next two months will be extremely difficult. Though congressional Republicans are saying tax reform will be “easier” than health care, the party is already embroiled in an intraparty struggle over how deeply to cut rates — and how to pay for them. And despite months of negotiations between top House and Senate Congress members and members of Trump’s administration — a working group dubbed the “Big Six” — Republicans haven’t actually agreed on many important points. And what they have agreed on has already raised some eyebrows within the Republicans conference.
“When you have a very slim majority — three of four senators ... control the destiny of tax reform and just unacceptable for the American people,” Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH), who sits on the tax-focused House Ways and Means and Budget committees, said.
Overcoming these hurdles will be difficult, and the margin of error for Republicans is slim. But more to the point, Congress has many procedural steps to take before they can get tax reform to the president’s desk. Here’s a clear guide to what Republicans need to do.
Trump has promised his tax reform will help the middle class, make the United States more competitive internationally, and lead to almost unprecedented economic growth in the years to come. And he’s promised to eliminate the federal debt in eight years while he’s at it.
Getting through that list of promises is politically impossible, but even coming anywhere close to it in the next two months will be extremely difficult. Though congressional Republicans are saying tax reform will be “easier” than health care, the party is already embroiled in an intraparty struggle over how deeply to cut rates — and how to pay for them. And despite months of negotiations between top House and Senate Congress members and members of Trump’s administration — a working group dubbed the “Big Six” — Republicans haven’t actually agreed on many important points. And what they have agreed on has already raised some eyebrows within the Republicans conference.
“When you have a very slim majority — three of four senators ... control the destiny of tax reform and just unacceptable for the American people,” Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH), who sits on the tax-focused House Ways and Means and Budget committees, said.
Overcoming these hurdles will be difficult, and the margin of error for Republicans is slim. But more to the point, Congress has many procedural steps to take before they can get tax reform to the president’s desk. Here’s a clear guide to what Republicans need to do.