Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, is hoping that what could have been a rather perfunctory meeting with committee Democrats this week could lay the foundation for a bipartisan approach to tax reform in the wake of President Trump’s offers to work with Democrats.
“My strong preference has always been to make tax reform bipartisan, if possible,” Brady told reporters Monday. “We’re meeting with Ways and Means Democrats this week, to go through a thorough briefing with the members themselves; we’ve already done that with staff.”
Brady said he holds out hope of reaching consensus because all lawmakers want to boost the economy.
“I’m still convinced that the economy that is hurting so many communities are hurting Democrat communities as well,” he said. “In an America that is not competitive worldwide…it hurts their communities as much as it hurts Republican communities in their states, so I’d love to have them bring their ideas on how we leapfrog American back into the lead as the most competitive place on Earth.”
“I want to hear their ideas on how we stop manufacturing plants and research facilities from leaving America, which they continue to do, and how we bring them back here. And how we simplify the tax code for families and individuals, so much so that many could use a postcard-style system” to file their taxes, Brady said. “Those are ideas I’m eager to hear from our Democrat colleagues.”
He declined to make any predictions about whether it will happen.
“[B]ut I think this engagement is important,” he said.
