Why Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady Is Keeping a Tight Lid on His Tax "Reform" Proposal

Among his numerous shortcomings, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) is bald. Associate solitary reporter Melissa Smith has yet to find out if he’s also short.

 

Congressman Brady has represented the Lone Star State’s Eighth Congressional District for twenty years. Last year, no Democrat opposed him. His District includes Montgomery County (the 24th fastest growing county in the nation) and Walker County, both large counties close to Houston.

 

As even Donald Trump knows, tax-writing legislation has to originate in the House, not the Senate. Trump’s US Senate has 52 GOPs — a fact sure to change in November 2018.

 

As Chairman of Ways and Means, the content of Brady’s tax “reform” bill has been a closely guarded secret, as GOP Congressmen from New York and New Jersey, and other northeastern states which have sensible tax legislation object to the proposal to scrap the deduction for state and local taxes (https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/31/house-republican-tax-plan-244385). Lobbyists for special interests, always a fixture in Washington’s swamp, are waiting to pounce on parts of the proposal that their clients won’t like in the least.

 

Brady had previously said he would roll out the text of his proposal yesterday, but guess what? He’s putting it off 'til today or Thursday. Why release something as scary as GOP proposals to give wealthy individuals “yuge" tax breaks, on Halloween?

 

Trump has no legislative accomplishments consistent with his agenda when he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. The confirmation of conservative Tenth Circuit Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court is an accomplishment from the point of view of the Federalist Society and its allies, but it’s not legislation. Trump may be able to nominate a successor to one or two current Supreme Court Justices, thus endangering Roe v. Wade and its constitutional sequelae.

 

Associate solitary reporter Melissa Smith is confident that any Brady-sponsored tax “reform” legislation will be stymied by intra-party feuding among the GOPs, just as TrumpRyanMcConnellCare couldn’t make it out of the Senate.

 

When ASR Smith asked Brady if he’s short, his response was succinct: “Melissa, you got something against extremely handsome bald men?”