Taxes

House Republicans Won’t Allow Amendments to the Tax Cut Bill

Written by SK Ashby

What you see is what you get says House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady.

In a process that is very reminiscent of the process they used to advance their bill(s) to repeal Obamacare, House Republicans will not allow amendments to their tax cut bill once it reaches the House floor.

The head of the tax-writing panel, Kevin Brady, has signaled that he intends to allow revisions during his committee’s meetings this week -- but not when the bill is on the full House floor. That means other House members will have to settle for a take-it-or-leave-it vote -- perhaps as soon as the week of Nov. 13. [...]

White House legislative affairs director Marc Short downplayed concerns a vote would be rushed through, saying in an interview Monday on Bloomberg Television that “it’s not really four days” but rather several weeks, because the legislation also must clear the Senate and a conference process.

You may recall that Republican said the same things about their bill(s) to repeal Obamacare.

One of the primary reasons their effort to repeal Obamacare failed is because they refused to open up the process for amendments and refused to go to conference to revise their bill. They say they will negotiate their final tax cut bill in a conference between both chambers, but I don't believe they will. The reconciliation process they're using to advance it means there's virtually no legislative space to maneuver in to make significant changes during a conference.

That was also the case with their effort to repeal Obamacare and, in the end, the House said it would simply pass whatever the Senate passes without going to conference. That left no time or space to make changes.

House Republicans and Speaker Paul Ryan are going to throw another kegger when they pass their bill, but the truth is the Senate bill is their end game.