Even though Republicans control both the House and Senate, they’ve been unable to pass a single piece of significant piece of legislation during President Trump’s first 200 days in office.
The White House and Congressional Republicans are now so desperate for a victory that they’re reaching out to some moderate Democrats as they prepare to introduce their massive tax cut bill when Congress returns from August recess.
According to Politico, White House officials have reached out to 15 to 20 centrist House Democrats as they attempt to find a middle path on tax reform. Members of the Blue Dog Coalition even met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, and top White House staff.
Why the sudden interest in bipartisanship? According to White House director of legislative affairs Marc Short:
“We’d prefer bipartisan support for the tax plan. We still think we can earn the support of [Democrats] on the tax package.”
Translation: The administration is scared to death they might suffer another humiliating defeat like the one that happened on healthcare.
Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) is one of the Democrats the White House is targeting, but he responded to the claim that the GOP is open to talking to Democrats as “crap.” Tester added:
“He did the same thing with health care. We offered to help and he said, ‘No, I’m going to run it down your throat.’ He’s going to do the same thing with taxes, and it’s bad public policy when you don’t bring people together to have a debate.”
What would it mean if the president’s tax package also went down in defeat? It could signal that Trump has lost what little political capital he has left and might also force some Republicans to more seriously consider impeachment if Special Counsel Robert Mueller finds evidence of wrongdoing by Trump.
Featured Image Via MSNBC
