Republicans have said they hope to have Democratic votes for their tax plan, but have given few signs that they’re willing to negotiate. Blue Dogs say that if Republicans are unable to pass their framework -- as occurred with the party’s failed attempt to repeal Obamacare -- President Donald Trump will be forced to negotiate with Democrats.
“I’m hopeful that things will change in terms of how Republicans are gonna go about this,” said Representative Dan Lipinski, an Illinois Democrat and the Blue Dogs’ co-chairman for policy. “It may take a failure to be able to pass something with Republicans only in order for Republicans to get to that point.”
The Blue Dog plan doesn’t offer specific tax rates or policy proposals for encouraging businesses to invest in the U.S., one of Republicans’ stated goals. The plan expresses openness to repatriation policies that bring corporate cash back to the U.S. “while also ensuring an adequate taxation rate for the cash and working assets held overseas.”
The group is aiming to help craft the GOP legislation. The group sent a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady of Texas requesting “a real seat at the negotiating table.”
The coalition members said that while they are open to negotiating, they don’t want to be used as props to boost a Republican plan. “We are not potted plants,” said Representative Mike Thompson, a Blue Dog from California.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, praised the Blue Dogs in a statement for seeking a bipartisan approach, saying their plan “would help start a dialogue.” He didn’t endorse their policy proposals.
Democrats risk angering their core supporters by endorsing Republican tax plans. Representative Tim Ryan, an Ohio Democrat who isn’t part of the Blue Dog Group, upset liberals in August when he endorsed lowering the corporate tax rate.
“We can’t just be the party of redistribution of wealth; we need to be the party of the creation of wealth in communities all over the country, not to just Silicon Valley, not just Wall Street, but all over,” Ryan told The Hill newspaper.
In response, a coalition of progressive groups, including MoveOn.org and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, purchased TV ads accusing him of helping "Republicans pass a tax bill that gives billions more to the richest."
Representative Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat and the Blue Dog communications co-chairman, said Democrats need to change what he described as an anti-business image.