Trump ready to put his own mark on tax debate The president, who's been in touch with senior members of Congress, tweeted on Monday with specific proposals – none of which are reflected in the proposed legislation.

President Donald Trump has been traveling through Asia for the past 11 days, but that hasn’t kept him out of the debate in Washington over tax reform.

He’s spoken to House Ways & Means Committee chair Kevin Brady (R-Texas) by phone three times since leaving D.C. on Nov. 3 and talked to House Speaker Paul Ryan as recently as Friday, according to senior administration officials and congressional aides.


The White House provided Trump with a list of senators to stay in touch with during the Asia trip that included Democrats, according to a senior administration official. Staffers who stayed in the U.S. have also been updating Trump with regular memos on the progress of the House and Senate bills – including cluing him in to the fact that the corporate tax rate in the Senate version won’t drop to Trump’s favored 20 percent level until 2019.

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence — who’s emerged as a key player in selling the tax overhaul on the Hill and across the country – has talked to Trump almost daily during the Asia trip, according to the senior administration official.

The goal, outside advisers said, is to help Trump hit the ground running once he’s back in the White House.

“You can be sure he will be messaging, marketing, and selling. The whole White House is really mobilized to get it done by the end of the year,” said Larry Kudlow, an informal economic adviser dating back to the 2016 campaign.

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Trump is due to speak on Capitol Hill to the House Republican conference on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. ahead of the House vote on the tax legislation.

“The president will speak to the conference about how important cuts and reform are to jumpstart our economy, make our businesses more competitive, and let hardworking Americans keep more of their well-earned paychecks,” White House spokesman Raj Shah said in a statement.

But the president may have complicated matters by weighing in publicly on Monday with a tweet — tagged as coming from Pennsylvania, though the president was still in the Philippines — offering praise coupled with a specific request for members of Congress to repeal Obamacare’s individual mandate.

“I am proud of the Rep. House & Senate for working so hard on cutting taxes {& reform.} We’re getting close!” Trump wrote. “Now, how about ending the unfair & highly unpopular Indiv Mandate in OCare & reducing taxes even further? Cut top rate to 35% w/all of the rest going to middle income cuts?”

Brady told reporters Monday that the president has repeatedly indicated that “he’s really interested in” getting rid of the individual mandate. “It is, remains, under consideration,” Brady said – but neither the House bill nor the Senate version under consideration repeals the individual mandate or proposes a top rate as low as Trump suggested on Twitter.

The missive encapsulated the deep-seated concerns among conservative tax experts, activists and congressional aides that the president will blow up any hard-fought negotiations by adding new demands or red lines.

“When president tweeted, I just thought, ‘Here we go again,’” said one conservative lobbyist. “I don’t think that tweet changes votes on the current tax bills. If anything, it loses votes by bringing up health care again.”

In late October, the president similarly tweeted out criticism of changing the taxation of 401k retirement savings accounts — a policy idea under consideration by House tax writers. Ultimately, it remained untouched in the House bill.

One White House official said — with a sigh — that no one can predict what the president will tweet once he returns. But all the same, the administration felt good about the two tax bills and the progress that has been made; any differences, the official added, can be worked out in conference once the chambers pass their respective bills.

House leaders plan to vote on their bill this week. The measure is expected to go to the House Rules Committee on Wednesday, with Republicans holding a floor vote on Thursday or Friday. Speaker Paul Ryan is not expected to make any significant changes to the bill before the chamber votes.

Brady told reporters Monday that he was confident the legislation would move through. “Leadership believes, is very confident, that we will have, we do and will have, the votes for passage,” Brady said.

In the Senate, the Finance Committee marked up its bill Monday afternoon. Senate Republicans have discussed repealing the individual mandate in their tax bill, but it’s unclear whether they have the votes.

Trump’s demands will add to the daunting task senators are facing as they try to fix their bill so it doesn’t add to the deficit, a requirement under Senate rules. Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch plans to amend the legislation, but he’ll have to make tough choices about which tax cuts would be affected.

The Congressional Budget Office projected last week that repealing Obamacare’s individual mandate would save the government $338 billion over a decade but leave 13 million more Americans uninsured in 2027.

Aaron Lorenzo contributed to this report.

