President Trump on Thursday cheered on House Republicans at the Capitol as they prepared to vote on a tax reform bill, telling them that they were going to make history.

“You have the chance to be the best Congress in history,” Mr. Trump told the GOP lawmakers, according to participants in the closed-door meeting.

He also called the bill the “biggest tax cut in American history” and said that lawmakers were poised to “make some good things happen” in America.

Rep. Drew Ferguson, Georgia Republican, said it was a “good leadership moment for the president.”

Others described Mr. Trump as “excited” and “upbeat.”

“He says we’ve got to do it,” said Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland Republican.

GOP lawmakers said they expected the bill would pass with several votes to spare.

A tax bill is working its way through the Senate, and both bills would then be combined in a conference committee. Mr. Trump wants the final bill on his desk by Christmas.

The House bill reduces the income tax rate for individuals and simplifies tax forms to a single page for most filers. It also slashes business taxes from among the highest to among the lowest in the developed world, which is intended to grow the economy, create jobs and raise wages.

Mr. Trump told the lawmakers that they had to pass it and show that the GOP can lead.

“He said that we as a party will show the nation and the world that we can lead,” said Rep. Ralph Abraham, Louisiana Republican. “This is a giant step in American history.”

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