While Congress continues to push for tax reform, senators from across the aisle will debate Tuesday evening over their respective visions for the future of the US tax code.
Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Tim Scott will face off against Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders at 9 p.m. ET on CNN, with CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash moderating.
The 90-minute event comes the same day Republicans voted to move their tax legislation to the full Senate for a vote, which GOP leaders hope will take place later this week.
President Donald Trump made a trip to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a luncheon in an effort to rally support for the bill.
Trump also had been scheduled to meet with Democratic leaders, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, but the duo ultimately didn’t show, following a tweet Trump sent Tuesday morning.
“Meeting with ‘Chuck and Nancy’ today about keeping government open and working. Problem is they want illegal immigrants flooding into our Country unchecked, are weak on Crime and want to substantially RAISE Taxes. I don’t see a deal!” he tweeted.
The two issued a statement on the matter, saying: “Given that the President doesn’t see a deal between Democrats and the White House, we believe the best path forward is to continue negotiating with our Republican counterparts in Congress instead.”
All eyes are on the Republican majority, as tax reform is the latest GOP effort to harness the Republican stronghold in Congress and the White House to pass major legislation after their attempt at health care reform initially failed.
The Congressional Budget Office released a report on the bill that showed the Senate Republican plan would result in poor Americans losing billions of dollars in federal benefits, because the proposal also includes removing Obamacare’s individual coverage mandate.
It would also increase the federal budget deficit by $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years, according to the CBO report.
The legislation would make multiple changes to the tax code, but the vast majority of individual tax cuts would expire after 2025.
