House GOP Health Care Bill Very Much Alive and More in Politics Today

It’s difficult to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in this country and to break through the clutter, so we’re here to make it easier. Here’s what we at Countable are reading today:

1.The House GOP Health Care Bill Is Very Much Alive

House Republicans still don’t have a deal to revive their health care bill, but the White House is laying the groundwork for negotiations to move quickly, meeting individually Monday with moderates and conservatives to discuss a possible agreement.

But it’s an open question whether the votes would be there for this yet-to-be-written version of the bill. Republicans have no timeline on a vote, though the White House seems to prefer passing the bill as soon as possible, potentially even this week so that Republicans don’t have a chance to go home for a scheduled recess next week and be dissuaded by constituents.

Read more at Huffington Post.

Even more and the chance to take action on health care at Countable.

2. Trump legislative director meets with moderate House Democrats

Marc Short, President Donald Trump's Capitol Hill liaison, huddled with moderate and conservative Democrats Monday evening in the first major White House outreach to members of the House minority.

Short met with Blue Dog Democrats, a moderate wing of the caucus whose membership has dwindled in recent years. A person with knowledge of the meeting said discussion mostly focused on tax reform and infrastructure, while some Democrats also complained about Obamacare's impact in their district.

Read more at Politico.

3. White House explores two new tax ideas — a value-added tax and carbon tax — as leading proposal to raise revenue falters

President Trump's administration is exploring the creation of two controversial new taxes — a value-added tax and a carbon tax — as part of a broad overhaul of the tax code, according to an administration official and one other person briefed on the process.

The decision to explore these ideas reflects how the White House is willing to adjust its approach because they want to attract more political support from lawmakers in both parties who have said they are willing to negotiate. White House officials took a more hard-line approach when they pushed for a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and the effort quickly stalled in Congress.

Read more at The Washington Post.

4.Trump Is Ready for Tax Cuts, but His Treasury Department Isn’t

After failing to pass health care legislation, the Trump administration said it would take control of the next legislative initiative, a tax overhaul. "Obviously, we’re driving the train on this," said Sean Spicer, the president’s spokesman.

But two and a half months after taking office, President Trump does not appear to have the personnel in place to get an overhaul of the tax code out of the station.

Besides Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, none of the 27 other political appointees who staff the department’s leadership have been confirmed, according to the Partnership for Public Service’s nomination tracker. Mr. Trump has announced only six other Treasury appointees and has yet to name anyone as assistant secretary of tax policy — a critical post for spearheading a rewrite of the tax code. Many important deputy under secretary roles also remain unfilled.

Read more at the New York Times.

5. Senate Banking Votes to Advance Clayton to SEC Chair Post

The Senate Banking Committee voted 15-8 Tuesday to confirm Wall Street attorney Jay Clayton to serve as the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

[Sen. Mike] Crapo anticipated a full Senate vote to confirm Clayton by the end of April. Three Democrats voted in favor of Clayton’s nomination: Jon Tester of Montana, Mark Warner of Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota.

Read more at ThinkAdvisor.

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr / Creative Commons)