The Republican Party seems to have backed itself into a corner on tax policy.

After the failure of their health care plan, President Trump and congressional leaders have understandably decided that they need a win. If they somehow fail to pass a tax cut, they will anger their base and their donors and look incompetent to swing voters.

But the actual bill that the House passed last week — and the modestly different plan the Senate is considering — is a dreadful piece of policy. It would cause the deficit to soar and, as a result, probably reduce economic growth. It would also raise taxes for millions of middle-class families.

And most Americans realize that the tax plan is dreadful. Only 16 percent of adults said they thought the plan would reduce their own taxes, according to a Quinnipiac poll released last week. On the same day the poll came out, several Republican senators criticized the plan, which suggests it may be in jeopardy.