President Donald Trump is taking a personal interest in lobbying for his planned tax bill. As the bill heads to a very consequential vote on the House floor, he knows that he likely faces some insurmountable challenges still ahead. That’s because the bill sets about making the so-called Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 permanent. It raises the state and local tax (SALT) cap and repeals taxes on tips.
On Tuesday, Trump at the last minute came to the U.S. Capitol to personally lobby House Republicans, showing just how vital to him this piece of legislation is. He stated, “We’re doing really well, it’s very close,” indicating his belief that progress is being made. On the same day, he warned that this bill in this form will likely not make it through.
I believe in it, but I don’t think we could pull it off today. I mean, the runway is short today. The truth is the organization leadership overall is really going to have to decide you know where do we go from here. We still don’t know when it will be voted on, but that’s another indication of progress,” said Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.
Trump’s efforts face hurdles from within his party, particularly from the ‘SALT Caucus,’ a group of Republicans who are advocating for higher SALT deductions. In recent weeks, Trump has met with influential members of the House Freedom Caucus like Reps. Chip Roy and Andy Harris. Even he finds it difficult to get their support for the revenue-neutral tax bill.
In a caution shot aimed at House Republicans, Trump said, “don’t f