“It shows the strength of the willingness to get tax reform done,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said. [GOP leaders make last-minute push for unity on taxes ahead of critical vote]Still, House leaders were able to persuade enough of the balking lawmakers to advance the process. Scaling back plans to eliminate the state-and-local-tax deduction are a potential land mine for the Republican tax writers. “With this budget, House Republicans are officially on the record supporting a middle-class tax increase – something they’ll be forced to defend repeatedly in the midterms,” said DCCC spokesman Tyler Law. [Deficits, schmeficits: House conservatives cast aside fiscal warnings to make way for tax cuts]The House Republican leaders argue that cutting taxes will spark economic growth that will drive up federal revenue, ultimately offsetting the revenue loss.

Source: Washington Post October 26, 2017 15:06 UTC