ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Things are already getting testy in the tax-reform fight, as Democrats struggle to derail the massive GOP bill

Bipartisanship has gone out the window as Democrats try to stymie the Republican tax plan over the next few days.

  • Republicans angered Democrats on Monday by introducing several amendments to their tax bill without warning.
  • Democrats can do very little to slow down the Republican effort to overhaul the tax code.

WASHINGTON — Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee have a very narrow path forward if they want to derail or engage Republicans' attempt to overhaul the federal tax code, using their allotted time to raise issues with the parts of the bill they deem to be bad policy.

The next few days in the House, as tax writers mark up the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was unveiled just last Thursday, will be crucial to the fate of the bill. Because Democrats are essentially frozen out of the process, partly because of their dwindling numbers on the committee, all they can do is speak out — loudly.

"I don't think we have the luxury of determining that," Rep. Mike Thompson of California said of engaging in any bipartisan fashion. "This is their show and they set the rules and they're driving the bus and they've decided that they're not going to allow Democrats to participate. And this is a huge mistake, I think, when you're doing something as big as once-every-30-whatever-years tax reform."

ADVERTISEMENT

Democrats will be allowed to offer their own amendments going forward but are outnumbered 24 to 16 in Congress' oldest continuous committee.

Since it is likely that every Democratic amendment would fail, and most Republican ones have very high chance of passing, Thompson said all Democrats could do was raise issue with the GOP lawmakers' proposals.

"We're going to try and get smart on the amendments that they have," he said. "We're going to raise issues of concern that we have."

But that becomes more difficult when the amendments are introduced without notice. "They've made no effort" to engage Democrats ahead of time, Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan told Business Insider.

"They just sprung out an amendment with a number of pieces and they want to combine it," Levin added. "They never talked to us. We didn't find out anything about it until they handed it to us. So even when it comes to amendments, they don't want to work together."

ADVERTISEMENT

Levin and Kevin Brady, the Republican Ways and Means chairman, engaged in a heated back-and-forth on Monday when the amendments were introduced without notice. Levin raged at Brady for not introducing the amendments separately or allowing for what he considered ample discussion on each one, calling it "disgraceful" and making "a mockery out of this committee."

"Are you people essentially authoritarians?" Levin asked Brady. "And you just throw this down to us. This is utter disgrace. Don't you have enough confidence in your own position to present these in advance to us and let" Thomas Barthold, the Joint Committee on Taxation chief of staff, "discuss each and every one of separately?"

The amendments passed Monday evening 24-16 on party lines. But Brady may not be done springing amendments on the committee in the coming days.

"There's a possibility that there will be more amendments by me that incorporate solutions as we get to them in these areas," Brady told reporters later Monday evening. "It depends upon how the solutions are designed and moving forward."

ADVERTISEMENT

Republicans dispute the notion that they are excluding Democrats from the process. Rep. Peter Roskam, the Illinois Republican who chairs the subcommittee on taxation, told Business Insider, "We've proposed any number of opportunities for the Democrats to engage this process." He said he hoped they would cooperate over the next few days.

As to whether any alterations to the bill would transcend rigid party lines, Roskam said he "wouldn't count it out."

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT