Thread: Trump to dine with Democrats, Republicans as administration pushes tax reform

Trump to dine with Democrats, Republicans as administration pushes tax reform

By Kathryn Watson CBS News
September 12, 2017, 2:11 PM

President Trump will dine with six key senators — three Democrats and three Republicans — at the White House Tuesday night, as his administration endeavors to overhaul the nation's tax code.

Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana; Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-North Dakota; Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia; Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Sen. Patrick Toomey, R-Pennsylvania; and Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, are the attendees, the White House has confirmed to CBS News. As the White House tries to steer Congress' attention towards tax reform, other administration controversies -- like the president's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for young immigrants and move to side with Democrats on extending the debt ceiling -- have forced Congress to divide its attention. Republicans are also looking to make a last-ditch attempt on health care, with four GOP senators planning to introduce a measure Wednesday to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Mr. Trump's sudden alliance with Democrats over his own party on extending the debt limit for three months — coupled with his recent harsh criticisms of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and other GOP leaders — may be an indication that he will be more open to working with Democrats in the future on issues like tax reform.

A White House official told CBS News the president is committed to passing tax relief for the middle class, and is willing to work with both parties to accomplish that. Donnelly, Heitkamp and Manchin were the only three Democrats who did not sign a letter from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last month outlining Democrats' must-haves for tax reform.

Senate GOP looking for budget deal on tax reform

In a recent speech in Missouri, Mr. Trump outlined the main goals for any tax reform — simplifying the tax code, eliminating loopholes for special interests, giving lower taxes to the middle class and slashing the corporate tax rate. Then, Mr. Trump urged Congress to "at least try to put the partisan posturing behind us and come together as Americans" on tax reform.

Mr. Trump has urged Republicans to "hurry" and reach a deal on taxes as soon as possible. The White House has never released a fleshed-out plan for its tax reform goals, leaving many of the details to Congress.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-t...es-tax-reform/

Please 3 nice moderate, conservative Democrats, please help our dear President get his crucial tax cuts through the Congress without having to make some sickening deal with Schumer selling out our citizens and workers. Please. I beg you to help US save our country.

And please stop the waste, fraud and abuse of OUR money giving illegal aliens tax refunds!

If they are caught...immediate deportation with ZERO opportunities to return.


No non-citizen shall profit OR receive US taxpayer benefits on behalf of a US citizen...whether that US citizen is a minor or otherwise.

The illegal parents are the guardians and custodians of THEIR minor children...not the USA or it's taxpayers. Keep the family together, do not separate them, and deport them all.

Trump courting Democrats on tax reform

By MARIAM KHAN
Sep 12, 2017, 4:02 PM ET

A group of six senators is expected to dine tonight with President Trump at the White House in what's being touted as a "bipartisan working dinner" to address tax reform, multiple Congressional aides have confirmed to ABC News.

The Democrats expected to attend will be Sens. Joe Manchin (W. Virginia), Joe Donnelly (Indiana) and Heidi Heitkamp (North Dakota) and the Republicans are Sens. Orrin Hatch (Utah), Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania) and John Thune (South Dakota).

The dinner comes as the White House and Congressional lawmakers continue to push along the slow-moving debate on tax reform. Trump over the weekend said he wanted to "speed up" the process, but lawmakers insist it's going to take a lot of time and effort to get something passed before the end of the year.

The three moderate Democrats each hail from red states, and are all up for re-election next year. The dinner could be seen as a boost to their campaigns, as Trump easily won in their states last year.

Donnelly, Heitkamp, and Manchin are also more likely to lend their support to a GOP tax package that includes widespread cuts and reforms because they are vulnerable heading into a risky midterm election.

Notably, the senators were the only three Democrats who did not sign a letter addressed to leadership that said the Democratic caucus would not support a tax overhaul that cuts taxes for the "top 1 percent" or adds to the government's $20 trillion debt.

The three Republicans who are attending all sit on the Senate Finance Committee, which is leading the charge on tax reform. The House and Senate are set to begin holding hearings on the details of their tax plan, Thune said on Monday.

The as-yet undrafted bill to overhaul the tax code remains a "top priority" for Republicans.

"I'm not making any predictions about it being done by the end of the year, but that's the hope, the aspiration and the plan," Thune said.

Democrats have been firing warning shots to their Republican colleagues for potentially drafting another bill in secret and out of the public's view.

"It’s middle class Americans, not those in the 1%, who deserve tax relief. So we Democrats will not go along with a tax plan that includes a tax cut for those who need it least," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said today during a conference call with reporters.

The White House released its own statement this afternoon: "The President is committed to getting tax relief for middle class Americans passed and is willing to work with Democrats and Republicans to do it."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump...ry?id=49796258

This is looking very promising.

GO TRUMP GO!!!

(NO DEALS)

Trump Dinner Menu: Tax Cuts

September 12, 20172:28 PM ET
Scott Horsley

President Trump is hosting a dinner at the White House Tuesday night for a bipartisan group of senators. On the menu: his plan to overhaul the tax code.

Republican leaders in the Senate are making plans to advance tax legislation on a simple, party-line vote. But after dissenting Republicans torpedoed the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Trump is eager to line up some Democratic supporters for insurance.

"Keeping 50 of 52 Republicans is not something that's reliable," the president's legislative director Marc Short told a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. "So it's wise for us not just from a policy perspective but from a vote-counting perspective to try to reach out and earn the support of Democrats as well."

The guest list for Tuesday's dinner includes Sens. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.; Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.; and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. All three are up for re-election next year in states that Trump carried by wide margins.

Last week Heitkamp accompanied the president on Air Force One when he delivered a speech on taxes in North Dakota.

"I'm committed to fixing our broken tax code, and making sure it encourages workers, their families, and our businesses," Heitkamp said afterward in a statement.

She stopped short of endorsing the president's plan, however, which has yet to be fleshed out.

"As North Dakota's former Tax Commissioner, I know the devil is in the details of any reform plan as tax codes are complex," Heitkamp said. "And we need to know what those details are."

Donnelly has also shown an interest in tweaking the tax code to discourage companies from shifting jobs overseas.

"I believe tax reform is an appropriate avenue to determine ways we can reward companies that invest in our workers and penalize those shipping American jobs to other countries," Donnelly said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to talking to President Trump again about my ideas and ways we can work together on this issue."

Trump surprised many observers last week when he struck a bargain with Democratic congressional leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer, of New York, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, of California, to extend the government's debt limit for three months.

"The president, I think, has demonstrated both in his business world and as president that he can make deals," said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders Tuesday during the press briefing. "He's going to work hard to make sure that we get the best deal possible on tax reform. And I think that starts with things like tonight — having this conversation and moving that ball forward, working bipartisan support from both sides."

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Gary Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, have been working for months with Republican congressional leaders to craft a tax proposal. Democrats have not been part of the process. So far, the discussions have produced only a two-page outline calling for cuts in both corporate and individual tax rates. The White House has left it to congressional tax-writing committees to fill in the details.

Even before that process is finished, Trump has been promoting the tax overhaul as a ticket to stronger economic growth. In addition to his North Dakota speech, Trump has campaigned for tax cuts in Missouri — another state he won last year. Aides say the president's tax cut tour may include visits to as many 13 more states in the coming weeks.

http://www.npr.org/2017/09/12/550451...-menu-tax-cuts