Congressional Republicans Frustrated by Lack of Tax Reform Detail
With the vote for tax reform legislation looming, Congressional members of the GOP, including Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, have expressed concern over the lack of clarity as to what the tax reform proposal is. Speaking anonymously, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee suggested that the lack of detail was either to prevent media leaks or because there is simply not enough agreement among the policymakers to warrant the release of a detailed plan. Negotiations over several important aspects of tax reform are ongoing, including the corporate tax rate, immediate expensing, and the budget resolution that must be passed to be a vehicle for moving tax reform through the Senate under budget reconciliation. Sen. John Thune speculated that further delays would only complicate matters by allowing special interest groups to mobilize opposition against proposed changes that would negatively affect them. Republican leaders have pledged to release further details by the end of September.