President Trump's insistence on getting tax reform done and done quickly is starting to give some GOP lawmakers just a touch of anxiety. It's not that Republicans aren't on board with getting something done, but there's just one huge thing missing: details of a tax plan of any kind.
Some members are worried they'll be forced to sign on to legislation they haven't seen or haven't had enough time to review. But going into a midterm election, it's going to be dangerous for any Republican to vote against tax reform.
Currently, Republicans from the administration and congressional leadership, dubbed "the Big 6," have been meeting and trying to hash out deals. But no details have really been released.
And it's pretty tough to glean what the president wants because of the many different plans he's put forth about tax reform. There was the pretty detailed very large tax cut he released as a primary candidate. Then came the general election plan that had less detail and slightly higher rates.
He's released still another as president that was just a page long. There were almost no details and the document mostly just set out goals.
There's also the issue of the budget. Because Republicans want to pass tax reform with a simple majority and bypass a Democratic filibuster, they have to pass a 2018 budget first. And that doesn't seem to be moving fast at all.
Currently, they're expected to release tax details at some point in October. But waiting on the budget and getting the plan through committees and marked up is going to make this a mind-numbing sprint to the finish. Especially since they want to be finished with tax reform before 2018 starts.
