WASHINGTON – New Ways and Means Committee chair Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said on Wednesday that he plans to solicit the views of House members on tax reform over the next few months.
Brady talked about tax reform in a statement laying out his vision for the committee.
His remarks come after House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said at The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council on Tuesday that House Republicans should pass a tax reform plan before the party selects a presidential candidate for 2016, according to Tax Analysts' Tax Notes. The 2016 Republican National Convention is scheduled for July 18-21 in Cleveland, Ohio.
"Over the coming months we are going to take real steps toward fixing our broken tax code by examining and engaging the ideas and energy of every House member who wishes to be heard," Brady wrote. "America needs a simpler, fairer, flatter tax code that's built for growth – the growth of our family's paychecks, the growth of our local businesses, and the economic growth of our nation."
Brady also showed support for making permanent some of the tax provisions that expire every year.
"An important step is before us as we work to end this ridiculous cycle of important but temporary tax provisions," he wrote. "Permanency creates certainty, boosts the local economy, and advances tax simplification by removing the asterisk from so many temporary provisions."
Thus far, the House has voted for a bill to make permanent several of these so-called extenders, including the state and local sales tax deduction. The Senate Finance Committee passed a bill in July that would extend certain expiring tax provisions for two years through the end of 2016, including those related to qualified zone academy bonds, enterprise zone facility bonds, and the state and local sales tax deduction. The bill also would extend for two years an increase in the limit on amount of excise taxes on rum that are covered over to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and a domestic activities deduction that would be applied to activities in Puerto Rico.
Brady also talked about reforming international tax rules, some of which have been considered in House and Senate debates about how to provide revenues for transportation funding.
"We will pursue modernizing America's outdated international tax rules to stop foreign competitors and foreign governments from gobbling up the jobs and profits of American businesses," he said. "Some estimate more than $2 trillion in American profits are stranded overseas – and no one has yet convinced me a dollar left overseas is better than a dollar brought home to be invested in new research, jobs and facilities."
Brady also said, "It's time to act now to take steps small and large to strengthen" Social Securities and Medicare programs. "The longer we put off saving Social Security and Medicare for the long term, the more difficult the task becomes," he said.
Meanwhile, Brady announced that the committee's select revenue measures subcommittee will be renamed the tax policy subcommittee and will be chaired by Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., will continue to chair the oversight subcommittee.
Brady also announced his senior staff for the committee. David Stewart will be committee staff director, Matt Weidinger deputy staff director and Lori Harju senior advisor.
Stewart served with former Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, since 2008 and as his policy director since 2013. He also was an economic advisor to former Gov. Mitt Romney's presidential campaign and a policy director for then-vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan. Weidinger has been the Republican staff director of the committee's human resources subcommittee since 2001. Harju worked for former committee chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., and was head of congressional affairs for the International Trade Administration in the George W. Bush administration. She will continue to be Brady's chief of staff, a post she has had since 2014.
