President Trump on Thursday applauded the Senate Finance Committee for approving a tax reform bill and sending it to the full chamber for consideration, the White House said.
“The passage of this legislation is another important step to delivering historic tax cuts and reform for hardworking families. For far too long, the tax code has been rigged in favor of well-connected special interests,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
She hailed the legislation for offering tax relief to middle-class families and empowering American businesses to “create more jobs, increase wages, and propel our economy toward a brighter future.”
The Senate committee advanced its bill late Wednesday, the same day the full House passed its version. If the upper chamber approves its legislation, the House and Senate versions must be reconciled in a conference committee before the resulting legislation gets final votes in both chambers.
Mr. Trump and GOP leaders have set an ambitious goal of sending the bill to the president’s desk by Christmas.
Both bills reduce the income tax rate for individuals and simplify tax code. The most dramatic reforms slash business taxes from among the highest to among the lowest in the developed world, which is intended to grow the economy, create jobs and raise wages.
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The bills face virtually unanimous opposition from Democrats who say the changes overwhelmingly benefit corporations and the wealthy, and that the middle class gets relatively little and in some cases could end up paying more.
Mrs. Sanders said the administration looks forward to working with Congress to make tax reform a reality by the end of the year.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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