The next steps for tax reform (and why GOP is still stuck)

Axios ^ | Sep 13, 2017 | Jonathan Swan

[upchuck]

House Ways and Means Committee chairman Kevin Brady outlined a step-by-step process to House Republicans this morning for moving ahead on tax reform.

The goal: For the House and Senate to get a budget resolution done by mid-October, followed by the introduction of a detailed tax reform plan that he'd steer through his committee and then push through the House this fall, according to a person in the room.

Reality check: Republicans still have one big problem. The House and Senate have to reach an agreement on a budget resolution — which would set the broad outlines for tax reform — before they can work on a detailed tax reform bill. Yet conservatives like House Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows aren't ready to commit to voting for a budget resolution unless they know the tax reform details first. If Republicans can't satisfy them, there's no guarantee they'll get past Step 1.

Yes, but: Brady says the “Big Six" tax reform negotiators hope to release a consensus tax reform framework the last week of September — so that could give a better sense of whether the conservatives will get what they need. (The “Big Six" are Brady, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Finance Committee chairman Orrin Hatch, Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House economic adviser Gary Cohn.)

The sequence, per the Brady briefing:

• The consensus framework would be released the week of Sept. 25.
• The House and Senate would try to approve a final budget resolution by mid-October.
• Brady would release a “chairman's mark" — a first draft of the detailed tax reform plan.
• The Ways and Means Committee would amend it and approve it.
• Brady would work with the Budget Committee to bring it to the House floor.
• House vote.
• Senate vote.

[upchuck]

That's a nice list at the end of the article but it has one BIG problem: Only one item, the first, has a deadline date. The rest is waaaaay to loosie goosie.

Congress needs to get it's stuff together. Too much politicking and not enough nose to the grind stone.

[Lurkinanloomin]

What they are working on is not a budget, it is another continuing resolution.
We have not had a budget since the beginning of the Kenyanesian Usurpation.

[Mariner]

There’s toooo much comity in the GOP caucus.

It MUST be run with an iron fist!

Simply notify every member they will get with the program or they will lose ALL financial support from the party, all committee seats, and all endorsements.

And, they’ll be singled out by POTUS on twitter as unworthy of office.

This is where Republicans are weakest. Leadership.

They have been without it for so long they don’t even know what it is.

And Democrats are publishing advanced studies and research on it every day.

Why would Trump, or ANY POTUS, deal with a group that cannot bring a majority vote to the table? You cannot cut a deal with them.

Just like “negotiating” a “peace deal”. You only deal with those in control of hostile forces. Everyone else is a net negative and gets you NOTHING.

[factoryrat]

I wonder how President Trump is going to work out this deal.

Make no mistake, Trump is no fool, this is what he does best. He knows how to apply pressure, he knows how to leverage deals, and he knows how to play one side off of the other to get what he wants.

So ignore all of the hyperventilating MSM empty heads, and their endless gossip and rumor-mongering. Everybody here knows who’s side they’re on.

[faithhopecharity]

Certainly djt will continue to work out deals on important matters of state. It’s part of his job. And if McConnell/Ryan/McShame/Lindsay/Collins keep blocking “ R-type” deals , then the president will make the only , best kind of deals he can with the “other team” -—and, not surprisingly, they’ll be “D-type deals.” Whether we like it or not. This is why we have to replace the core RINO road- blockers — asap. Hopefully, someone can put together a huge well-funded and managed campaign to help achieve this

[Brian Griffin]

Constitution-based revenue caps on all levels of government are needed.

[WKUHilltopper]

The establishment GOP are traitors to the Republic. They’ve been offered Duke status and their own fiefdom once the country is destroyed.

[ZULU]

The GOP Leadership must be removed before any progress can be made.

[Roccus]

Simply notify every member they will get with the program or they will lose ALL financial support from the party, all committee seats, and all endorsements.

Why? Innaction is EXACTLY what the Republican branch of the UniParty wants. You don't seriously believe the GOP* wants the President to have ANY victories, do you?

*.....N.B. no "e"