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08/02/2018

Senate Finance Approves Treasury Nominees

The committee advances two of Trump’s senior post nominees

The Senate Finance Committee on Aug. 1 advanced two of President (Donald) Trump’s nominees for senior posts in the Treasury Department, though Democrats are opposing one nomination.

By a 25-2 vote, the committee easily approved Michael Desmond’s nomination to be the chief counsel at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Desmond was Treasury tax legislative counsel under President George W. Bush.

The committee also approved Justin Muzinich, the administration’s nominee for deputy secretary of Treasury, by a 14-13 party-line vote. Finance Democrats suspect Muzinich has been involved in Treasury deliberations to permanently cut taxes on capital gains and did not like his answers to questions about foreign interference in U.S. elections.

“When Mr. Muzinich came before this committee last week, it was a struggle to get straight answers to questions that ought to have been low-hanging fruit,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), ranking member on Senate Finance. “In my view, Treasury appointees must exhibit a basic level of candor, a respect for both sides of this committee, and a recognition that the department is not above the law. Those qualities are lacking at the moment among those heading up the Trump Treasury Department.”

Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) dismissed these concerns as partisan discord and said it is vital that the Treasury Department be fully staffed to implement the new tax law.

“Both Muzinich and Desmond have demonstrated that they are qualified, competent and ready to get to work to ensure that tax reform is implemented as Congress intended,” Hatch said.

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

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