Republicans have had a hard time getting their tax-cut message to resonate over the past year. Friday was no different.
The House passed legislation that would make permanent the 2017 tax cuts for individuals and pass-through businesses which otherwise would expire at the end of 2025.
The bill passed 220-191, mostly along party lines. The legislation can now advance to consideration in the Senate, though it likely won’t be taken up anytime soon. Republican leaders are hesitant to take up a bill they don’t expect could garner the 60 votes needed to pass. Plus, Republicans senators have higher priorities at the moment.
Debate over confirming President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh dominated the discussions within Congress this week. Kavanaugh testified Thursday about allegations of sexual assault while in high school. His accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, also testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Two other women have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.
Senate Republicans’ top goal is to confirm the nominee before the Nov. 6 elections.
Hasn’t Sunk In
Representative Kenny Marchant, a Texas Republican, said he’s talking about the tax cuts on the campaign trail, but voters aren’t necessarily making a connection between the tax law Congress passed in late 2017 and the growing economy.
“Once people file their tax returns next year, I think it is all going to sink in on them,” he said. “For corporations, it’s already sunk in.”
The “Tax Reform 2.0” legislation isn’t what House Republicans had hoped it would be. The bill was an attempt to freshen up their premier legislative achievement ahead of the midterm elections and use it against Democrats. It was always seen as a political exercise, since it has no real prospects of becoming law.
The effort faced opposition from a small but vocal faction of Republican lawmakers opposed to limiting the deduction for state and local taxes at $10,000, who see their political survival at risk in November.