Brady Downplays Senate Concerns Expressed on Border Adjustability, Still Optimistic
House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, sought to downplay Senate GOP concerns recently voiced regarding the border adjustability elements of House Republicans’ tax reform plan. Speaking to reporters on Feb. 13, Brady said House proponents of the border-adjustable plan are “making progress every day” in discussions with Senate colleagues about the “bold change” proposed by the new plan. In response to a question about whether border adjustability is “still a hard sell” with Senate Republicans, Brady said, “No, I feel really good about where we’re going." Brady said that while industries will fight hard to preserve their “special tax bracket,” more lawmakers are seeing parts of the proposal as helpful to consumers and having the wherewithal to erase tax reasons to move jobs and headquarters overseas. “We’re going to continue to work with the Senate, with House members, with industry, frankly, as we listen to their solutions on how to design it in transition,” he said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
Brady also highlighted “productive” and “exciting” discussions on tax reform between House Republicans and President Donald Trump since “almost the first day after the election,” noting Trump is making a “huge commitment” to tax reform. “We’ll let them make their news, but I’m really pleased with the direction it’s going.” Brady again said he expects nations to raise complaints about any U.S.-implemented border adjustability framework, echoing sentiments he expressed during a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Jan. 24 (see 1701240039). “This will be written in a way that is WTO-consistent and compliant,” he said. “And we will prevail in any challenge that they bring.” Spokespeople for the White House, as well as the offices of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., who recently publicized his concerns about the plan (see 1702130022), didn’t comment.