"Cloak of Secrecy" around GOP Tax Bill
As Republicans unveil their tax bill this morning, a quick reminder that this is the first time many of their own members are seeing it. And we’ve all seen how well that’s worked out for them in the past…
“[C]onservative leaders in the House, who have not been part of the closed-door deliberations, started to draw parallels to the GOP’s botched health care effort — a knock on party leaders who saw major blowback for the secrecy surrounding the creation of their Obamacare repeal legislation. ‘Anything that gets done in a cloak of secrecy is certainly not what an open and deliberative body should do,’ warned House Freedom Caucus leader Mark Meadows (R-N.C.).” [Politico, 1/1/17]
“The vast majority of House Republicans have only an inkling of what’s in the [tax reform] legislation. The details, including the key question of who loses under the legislation, have been closely held by party leaders for months… Even tax aides to members of the Ways and Means committee have not yet been briefed on the plan… Time is running out… And Republicans may have to release their tax plan without all the wrinkles ironed out… By leaving some matters unresolved, GOP leaders risk blowback at a time when they’re in desperate need of momentum.” [Politico, 10/31/17]
“Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives were expected on Thursday to release a tax bill offering plenty of flexibility, as they grapple with stubborn internal disagreements on paying for the tax cuts they propose….Representative Tom MacArthur, asked if fellow Republicans could meet their ambitious deadline of approving a tax bill by the Nov. 23 Thanksgiving holiday, told reporters: ‘I've been called a lot of things but 'prophet' is not one of them.’” [Reuters, 11/2/17]
“The vast majority of House Republicans have only an inkling of what’s in the [tax reform] legislation. The details, including the key question of who loses under the legislation, have been closely held by party leaders for months… Even tax aides to members of the Ways and Means committee have not yet been briefed on the plan… Time is running out… And Republicans may have to release their tax plan without all the wrinkles ironed out… By leaving some matters unresolved, GOP leaders risk blowback at a time when they’re in desperate need of momentum.” [Politico, 10/31/17]
“Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives were expected on Thursday to release a tax bill offering plenty of flexibility, as they grapple with stubborn internal disagreements on paying for the tax cuts they propose….Representative Tom MacArthur, asked if fellow Republicans could meet their ambitious deadline of approving a tax bill by the Nov. 23 Thanksgiving holiday, told reporters: ‘I've been called a lot of things but 'prophet' is not one of them.’” [Reuters, 11/2/17]