House Speaker Paul Ryan Tuesday promised tax reform in 2017, warning the public and his fellow Republicans not to let the opportunity slip away or to be discouraged by bad headlines.
“We are going to get this done in 2017. We need to get this done in 2017. We cannot let this once-in-a-generation moment slip by,” Ryan said in a speech delivered at the National Association of Manufacturers in Washington.
Legislation could be passed in time for deer hunting season in his home state of Wisconsin, he suggested during a question-and-answer session after the event.
Ryan mostly steered clear of details about his plans for taxes, although he did underline the condition that legislation take the form of permanent tax reform rather than a temporary tax cut.
Instead, he delivered a high-level endorsement of lowering tax rates and bringing back cash that corporations currently have stashed overseas to avoid the 35 percent corporate tax rate. In his address, he also touted the GOP agenda on health care and financial regulation.
And he discouraged the audience from overreacting to the news of the day about the status of tax reform talks.
“You will hear that it is dead. Then you will hear it is back on track. Then you will hear it is on life support,” he said. “Sometimes you will hear all of this in the same week, the same day, or heck, even the same hour. Do not be surprised by any of this.”
On Twitter, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi mocked Ryan for not including specifics on proposals.
“I applaud @SpeakerRyan on his ability to give so many speeches on tax reform without ever sharing details of an actual plan,” she tweeted.
I applaud @SpeakerRyan on his ability to give so many speeches on tax reform without ever sharing details of an actual plan.
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) June 20, 2017
Republicans in the House, Senate and White House are currently engaging in talks with the stated goal of arriving at a unified tax plan to introduce in the fall.
Speaking before Ryan at Tuesday’s event, Vice President Mike Pence promised the “largest tax cut” since the Reagan administration.
“Discussions will continue, details are being worked out, but I can assure you with your support and the support of our leaders in Congress, we will get tax cuts done, and we will get them done this year,” Pence said.
