Congressional Republicans are frustrated over the lack of details on tax reform legislation at the same time that President Donald Trump is pressuring them to pass a bill, Politico reported on Tuesday.
"It is frustrating and concerning that we don't have the details and yet we're going to be asked in 60 days to vote on something," a member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee said.
With the GOP's failure to pass repeal and replace legislature of Obamacare earlier this summer fresh in his mind, Republican Rep. Dave Brat of Virginia said "This time around there is no room for error. This has got to be a home run. I would hope everyone wants to know what's in it before you vote on it."
The member suggested that congressional and administration leaders negotiating a plan are holding back information either to avoid leaks or because they haven't found enough common ground yet to share anything.
There reportedly remain disagreements among negotiators in closed-door meetings over crucial issues, particularly the exact corporate tax rate, with Trump's desire for a 15 percent rate viewed as unrealistic because of its cost, as the current rate is 35 percent.
The other main disagreement centers on the lack of a clear path forward on the 2018 budget, which will be used as a vehicle for tax reform.
This uncertainty comes as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and top Trump economic adviser Gary Cohn are due to meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Budget Committee members on Tuesday to discuss the budget.
Administration officials told The Hill a main reason that Trump reached a surprise three-month debt-limit agreement with the Democrats last week was "to clear the decks" for tax reform.
However, CNBC reported that deal may actually end up thwarting any plans for tax reform before the end of the year.
That is because Congress has such little time until it must return to the issue of raising the debt ceiling, the focus in Washington may quickly dissolve into fighting over that item again instead of concentrating on tax reform.
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