GOP's small majority adds to challenge of tax reform

Source: The Hill

12/02/24 6:00 AM ET


House Republicans are heading into the new Congress with a lofty set of tax reform goals, an ambitious agenda made more difficult by a razor-thin majority.

Republicans are on track to have a single-digit-seat edge beginning in January, one that is set to get smaller as some members resign from the House to serve in President-elect Trump’s Cabinet.

That will make the heavy lift of tax reform even weightier for Republican leaders. A small but influential group of GOP lawmakers want to raise the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap and are vowing to block any bill without their demand, and deficit hawks are sure to voice their concerns about the price tag.

Top Republicans say they are aware of those circumstances but are ready to take up the challenge head-on. “That’s what the whole process is gonna be, threading that needle,” Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, told The Hill. “But failure is not an option, we’ll get it done.” Success, however, will require near-total agreement within the fractious Republican conference.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5013474-republican-tax-reform-majority/