GOP negotiators hint at progress on tax reform this week – Washington Examiner

Congressional Republican leaders and administration officials suggested that there would be movement this week in their tax reform talks, but remained tight-lipped about what form that progress could take.

"Wait and see," National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn told reporters Wednesday upon leaving House Speaker Paul Ryan's office after a nearly hour-long meeting.

Cohn didn't rule out that the "Big Six" of congressional GOP leaders and administration officials would release an outline of or guidelines for a tax reform plan this week, a possibility reported by several publications earlier in the day. "We're all on one page, one unified page," he said.

Kevin Brady, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee that has jurisdiction over taxes, indicated that the group would release something this week, but declined to give any indication of what form that update would take.

The "Big Six" comprise Cohn, Brady, Ryan, Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

They have engaged in regular talks at the Capitol to hammer out a unified Republican plan, discussing issues such as the the target for lowering tax rates, which tax breaks to eliminate, and how comprehensive the plan will be. So far, they have kept their deliberations to themselves. On Wednesday evening, they remained discreet, but talked up their progress.

"Excellent meeting. Continue to make a lot of progress," said Mnuchin, breezing past reporters assembled outside Ryan's office.

Republicans have said that their goal is to pass tax reform in 2017.

"We're going to be submitting a tax bill in the very near future," President Trump said earlier in the day at an event at the White House.

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GOP negotiators hint at progress on tax reform this week - Washington Examiner

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