Trump Wants Tax Reform By August, Mitch McConnell Says Not Likely

It’s an early showdown between the new blood in the Trump administration and the old guard of the GOP establishment – and it’s over long-awaited tax reform in this country.

On Thursday, President Trump’s newly minted Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, said the administration is “committed to pass tax reform” and they plan on getting it done “by August recess.”

Mnuchin wants to see two core tenet’s of the tax plan implemented –  “a middle-income tax cut and simplification for business.”

All well and good, but Senator Mitch McConnell believes putting tax reform on the agenda might be a little too much for Congress to accomplish. Or at least that’s what he says.

Via The Hill:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday poured cold water on the Trump administration’s goal of completing tax reform by the August recess.

“I think finishing on tax reform will take longer,” McConnell said during a Playbook Live interview.

Pressed about when he thought lawmakers would be able to complete tax reform, the Senate’s top Republican demurred.

“It is complicated. All of those discussions are already under way,” McConnell said. “How do you craft it?”

Pressed to give a timeline for tax reform, McConnell indicated that a little under five months might not be realistic.

McConnell added, “We do have to finish the health-care debate, up or down, win or lose, before we go to taxes.”

The President acknowledged the order in which he wants things handled, but indicated that a Republican tax reform plan is practically already done.

“Before we do the tax — which is actually very well finalized — but we can’t submit it until the health care statutorily or otherwise,” Trump told reporters before a White House budget meeting.

The real question is, will the Republican establishment actually cut and simplify taxes, as they’ve promised to do, or come up with excuses, like they’re already doing with Obamacare?

Comment: Who do you think is going to win this showdown on tax reform – Will President Trump see it through by August, or will Mitch McConnell successfully delay it? Share your thoughts below.

Rusty Weiss has been covering politics for over 15 years. His writings have appeared in the Daily Caller, Fox... More about Rusty Weiss

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