Hatch also told reporters on Capitol Hill he had few details of the proposal, which his committee would be charged with shepherding. Trump’s idea took lawmakers by surprise when the president first discussed it over the weekend.

Asked whether there actually is such a proposal, Hatch said: “I think there will be.”

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Hatch’s comments underscored the chaotic nature of Trump’s approach to announcing a proposal that would be a major — and costly — change to the nation’s tax code.

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Trump on Tuesday suggested Republicans would soon unveil a nonbinding “resolution” that would put lawmakers on record in favor of a future 10 percent middle class tax cut. The resolution could be rolled out as soon as this week, but Congress is gone until the middle of November and could not vote on it before then.

Trump’s proposal comes two weeks ahead of midterm elections that will decide control of Congress, and Republicans look to bolster their case as capable stewards of the economy. The GOP tax law that went into effect this year has grown unpopular because of the public’s perception that it mostly helps well-off people and corporations, and Trump has called on his team to find new ways for Republicans to communicate their message.

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Hatch sidestepped when asked whether he had discussed the idea with the president, saying: “We talk all the time.”

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“I can’t say I don’t know anything about it,” Hatch said. “But, you know, he’s an interesting man, and he’s a very good leader. And he does things the way he wants to do them, and he’s been pretty successful so far so I’m going to be the last to criticize him, I’ll put it that way.”

Asked about the idea of passing a resolution, Hatch said, “I don’t have it yet so I’ll wait and see what he does. I’ll be happy to listen to him in every way.”

“We’re in the middle of a very contentious tough year so we’ll just have to see,” Hatch added.

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He said he believed the Senate ultimately could pass such a tax cut, but “it would be very difficult at this particular time.” Hatch acknowledged ultimate passage of a new tax cut would require Republicans to retain their congressional majorities.

“The Democrats don’t like tax cuts. We love them,” Hatch said. “We think they stimulate economy, benefit the economy, and get our economy moving better than ever. So I’m a big supporter of tax cuts.”

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Hatch said he had not yet discussed the issue with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) but would do so. McConnell has yet to comment publicly on Trump’s idea.

In the House, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) issued a statement Tuesday saying his committee would be working on legislation to develop the 10 percent middle-class tax cut.

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Democrats have scoffed at the whole idea, accusing Trump of pulling the new tax cut out of thin air ahead of the elections because the tax law that is already in effect has been a dud with voters.

“Republicans are scrambling because voters saw through their tax scam and understand that it was written for big corporations and the one percent, not for them,” said Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee. “This Hail Mary proposal is full admission that the GOP tax law wasn’t for middle-income Americans in the first place.”

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Congress passed a massive tax-cut plan last year. The law’s biggest change permanently cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. It also reduced income tax rates at all levels, while changing the structure of many tax deductions. Nonpartisan analyses of the plan found that the law’s individual tax cuts overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy.

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The corporate tax cuts in the law are permanent, while the individual cuts will expire in less than a decade unless Congress acts to extend them.

The White House has not filled in key details of the new 10 percent plan, such as how they would define the middle class or pay for a plan that would cost hundreds of billions of dollars over a decade. Republicans did not pay for the tax law they passed last year, instead adding the $1.5 trillion cost to the deficit, but Trump said Tuesday his new proposal would be “a net neutral.” He did not explain how this would be achieved.