02/01/2018

House Ways and Means Plotting Next Steps on Taxes

After this year, the committee's roster will be substantially different

House Ways and Means Republicans will hold a half-day retreat next week to discuss next steps on tax policy and prioritize the rest of their agenda for 2018.

Ways and Means Republicans are working to combine a number of tax provisions into one tax extenders bill that Congress could take up later this year. To date, Republicans on different sides of the Capitol have focused on different priorities, with Senate Finance Republicans seeking to extend several expired tax provisions including tax breaks for mortgage insurance premiums and credits for renewable energy property.

“We’ve got a lot of key priorities going forward in tax, trade, healthcare and restructuring the IRS,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) to reporters this week.

The Ways and Means Committee roster will be substantially different after this year. Seven Republicans serving on the committee were already set to leave Congress, and Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA) became the eighth when he announced recently that he will not seek reelection after reports that he used taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment complaint from a former aide.

Other Ways and Means Republicans who are leaving include Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH), who departed office last month; Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS); Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA); and Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX). Reps. Diane Black (R-TN) and Kristi Noem (R-SD) are running for governor in their states and Rep. James Renacci (R-OH) is running for a Senate seat.

This article was provided to OSAE by the Power of A and ASAE's Inroads.