White House to negotiate tax overhaul behind closed doors

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House plans to privately negotiate a massive overhaul of the tax system with Republican leaders in Congress, possibly giving rank-and-file members little if any say over the finished product, according to a top aide to President Donald Trump.

Senate Republicans have been widely criticized for crafting their health care bill behind closed doors, with even some in the GOP complaining about the secretive process.

In April, the administration unveiled a one-page proposal that called for massive tax cuts for businesses and a bigger standard tax deduction for middle-income families, lower investment taxes for the wealthy and an end to the federal estate tax for the superrich — like the president and his family.

A growing number of Republicans say they would rather just cut taxes than take on the difficult task of simplifying the tax code, which would include eliminating many tax breaks to finance lower overall tax rates.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi's office released a statement calling Ryan's remarks "minor platitudes for hard-working Americans," short on specifics.

Yet Ryan didn't provide any additional information about his tax plan or the state of negotiations among White House officials and Republican leaders in Congress.

Even if the White House were to forge an agreement among congressional leaders, the resulting package would still need to get buy-in from rank-and-file members, said Rohit Kumar, a former tax counsel to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who now heads PwC's Washington tax office.