Republicans Divided Between Tax Reform and Tax Cuts
Facing a low presidential approval rating, failed health care reform, and impending midterm elections, the GOP wants to move quickly on tax legislation but is undecided on the actual package to present. Some Republicans support scaling back reform to focus on tax cuts, in the hope of avoiding drawn out negotiations over eliminating tax expenditures and closing loopholes. Other party members, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, Sen. John Thune, as well as the White House, favor comprehensive tax reform, believing that tax cuts fall short of the overall goal. Two items Republicans do agree on are the need to pass a budget resolution as a vehicle for budget reconciliation in the Senate and a fall deadline for tax reform.
GOP debates tax cuts vs. tax reform