House And Senate to Vote on Tax Cuts Package Today

Paul Ryan resignation
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, sits with U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, center, during a meeting with members of Congress and Trump's administration regarding tax reform in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. Congress, back from its August vacation, has less than a month to avert a default on the nations debt and avoid a government shutdown. The pressure of dealing with Harveys destruction, possible more damage from Hurricane Irma and the North Korea crisis could make a fiscal fight less likely. Photographer: Shawn Thew/Pool via Bloomberg

Today’s the day. This afternoon, President Trump may achieve his biggest victory to date. The House and Senate are poised to vote on sweeping tax reform legislation, the first of its kind since Ronald Reagan was in the White House.

Jake Sherman of Politico reports:

A final deal was reached last Friday by Senate Republicans. The tax package will not only cut rates, particularly the rate for corporations, but will close various loopholes and repeal Obamacare’s individual mandate.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan hyped the upcoming vote by posting a retro C-SPAN video showing the young congressman blasting the U.S. tax code for being too complex and burdensome on business.

The President himself also anticipated the upcoming vote, promising that the bill would create jobs:

This is going to be a huge accomplishment for both congressional Republicans and President Trump.

For decades, Republicans have preached the power of tax cuts. They have given thousands of speeches, decrying the size of the current tax code, advocating for lower rates and fewer loopholes.

Now, Republicans can turn all that rhetoric into reality. And it all comes down to today’s vote.

As Robert Novak once said, “God put the Republican Party on earth to cut taxes. If they don’t do that, they have no useful function.”

Today’s vote will represent the existential reason for the Republican Party. It’s really that do-or-die.

The stakes are also high for another reason. Failure on this initiative will doom the party going into the 2018 elections. Over the summer, Republicans failed in pathetic fashion to repeal Obamacare.

Right now, Republicans have no big accomplishments to point to as a reason for voters keeping them in office. President Trump has done numerous things unilaterally: practically defeated ISIS, substantially cut government regulation, and pulling out of the fraudulent Paris climate agreement. But these actions were done solely by the president.

Congressional Republicans desperately need a win. And taxes are one of the few policies that they can actually win on.

Let’s hope Republicans get the job done.

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Jim E. is a true political insider, with experience working both in Washington and outside in real America. Jim... More about Jim E

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