(CNN) House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal of Massachusetts is carefully deliberating the best way to request President Donald Trump's tax returns amid building pressure from activists on the left.

For Neal, a left of center Democrat who has waited decades to win the gavel on Ways and Means, requesting the returns could come with costs: such a gesture could be seen within the administration as the ultimate defiance, virtually assuring the administration recasts Neal as a foe rather than a negotiating partner.

But pressure is mounting. Even as the Ways and Means Committee just formally organized and navigated a 35-day long government shutdown of agencies within their jurisdiction, groups like Tax March, Indivisible and Stand Up America sent a letter last week to Neal urging him to swiftly request Trump's returns. They included a draft letter for the chairman to send to Treasury.

Members of the committee say they have little concern that Neal will pursue the tax returns, instead arguing that such a pursuit has to be executed with extreme care.

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