David Jackson

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is reworking its tax reform plan and doesn't know whether it can put together a final proposal before members of Congress take their August recess, aides said Monday.

Details are being worked on as top members of the Trump economic team speak with lawmakers, industry groups and outside organizations, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.

"What you're seeing is us going through this process," Spicer said.

Spicer disputed an Associated Press report that Trump "has scrapped the tax plan he campaigned on and is going back to the drawing board in a search for Republican consensus behind legislation to overhaul the U.S. tax system."

Instead, the spokesman said the administration is involved in a process led by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, among others. They are "meeting with groups that have been advocating for tax reform since 1986," Spicer said.

"This is going to be a major undertaking and I think we want to make sure that we listen, have their ideas and their input as we move forward," Spicer said. "But this is the beginning phases of that process."

Republicans at the White House and on Capitol Hill have debated whether the proposed overhaul should include a "border tax" on goods coming into the country. While Trump and some supporters say some sort of border tax will help promote American manufacturing, others say it will lead to higher prices on all U.S. goods.

The precise levels of corporate and income tax rates are also under discussion, officials said.

The administration's legislation plans also took a hit last month when GOP members were unable to agree on the details of a bill to "repeal and replace" President Obama's health care plan.

The administration had hoped to submit a tax plan by August, but the timing is now uncertain.

Cohn told Bloomberg Television that "I don’t know if it’s August or not ... Getting it done well and getting it done right is more important than getting it done soon.”

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