GOP stalls tax bill rollout

WASHINGTON—Republican leaders on Tuesday night decided to delay the planned Wednesday release of their tax plan text. “In consultation with President Trump and our leadership team, we have decided to release the bill text on Thursday,” Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement, noting negotiations were still ongoing. “We are pleased with the progress we are making and we remain on schedule to take action and approve a bill at our committee beginning next week.” Brady, his staff, and other key lawmakers spent most of Tuesday in conference rooms meticulously working through the details of the draft bill. Republicans face pressure to remain unified on tax reform after publicly crumbling this year in an effort to repeal and replace Obamacare. President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday he expects to sign a tax bill into law by Christmas, but it would be an uphill battle. A group of House Republicans voted against the budget resolution to set up the forthcoming tax bill. GOP lawmakers, particularly in New Jersey and New York, don’t like the early framework, which proposes curbing state and local tax deductions to pay for proposed tax cuts.