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Ever Hear of Mick Mulvaney? Why He Holds the Keys to Trump's Agenda on Taxes and Obamacare

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When it comes to movers and shakers in Washington, look no further than White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney. He's not just the main number cruncher. He is deeply involved in the push for key policy goals that the Trump Administration wants to carry out; namely passing tax reform and repealing and replacing Obamacare.

Trending in the news lately is the big final push in the Senate on a bill to replace Obamacare. A vote is scheduled for next week. Budget Director Mulvaney made an appearance on CBN's Faith Nation program to talk about the prospects.

"I think if you ask me how many votes it has as of today, 48, 49 maybe, which last time I checked is not enough. Fifty is the threshold."

Mulvaney is keenly aware that senators will be waiting to see the costs associated with the bill. A preliminary congressional budget office report will be out next week but Mulvaney says even if the CBO's numbers don't look good, that shouldn't matter.

"While their data is required it's been wrong a lot in the past," Mulvaney tells CBN News.
 
The White House is also juggling tax reform. The big move to pass that initiative is set for this fall.

When asked by CBN's Faith Nation Host Jenna Browder about whether a bill could be signed into law by the end of the year, Mulvaney responded, "I hope so. That's still the president's top priority...if you've got listeners listening to this show or viewers watching this show who are 30 years old, they've never had a job in a truly healthy American economy, and that's defined as three percent or greater so we want to try and get back to that and tax reform is a central piece of that which is why we've been working so hard on it."
 
No specifics on the plan have been laid out yet, but we do know that President Trump wants to see a much lower tax rate on businesses - down to 15 percent. That's the centerpiece. Is it non-negotiable?

"Nothing is set in stone in Washington," says Mulvaney. "But if you ask the president what his priorities are on the tax reform bill specifically, that 15 percent rate is absolutely critical to us. Why? Because we want to go back to that 3 percent economic growth. You have to have more investment in the country. The way you drive GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth is a function of the number of people working multiplied by how productive they are."
 
When it comes to Mulvaney's priorities for the federal budget, the one that gets the most high profile attention is the border wall.

"I want to make it very clear that the wall absolutely continues to be a priority for the president," Mulvaney says. "It will look like different things in different areas. We're going through a process right now, sort of a competition, I think it's either four or eight different examples of the wall to see what might be the most effective in what parts of the country."
 
How to pay for it is another matter. The Trump Administration wants $1.6 billion. Most Democrats don't want it at all and even a decent-sized group of Republicans aren't sure either. Trump's "art of the deal" will have to come into play, something Mulvaney saw for himself recently when the president cut a deal with the two top Democrats in Congress, otherwise known as, "Chuck and Nancy."

Mulvaney says conservatives shouldn't be concerned about Trump's new dealing with the opposition party.

"What you see now is the president more interested in getting results...when you are the president and you're interested in passing an agenda maybe it's not that unusual for you step back and say, 'Ok who can help me get this stuff done.'"
 
Mulvaney was in the room when President Trump cut his first deal with, "Chuck and Nancy." He calls it, "fascinating times" and says that one day he's going to tell his grandchildren all the stories about it.

 

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About The Author

David
Brody

David Brody is a thirty-four-year veteran of the television industry and currently serves as Chief Political Analyst for CBN News. He’s interviewed many prominent national figures across the political spectrum during his time at the Christian Broadcasting Network, including former President Donald Trump. During Trump’s administration, David interviewed him at the White House, aboard Air Force One, and at Mar-a-Lago. He’s also interviewed former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo three times each. In addition, David has provided on-air political analysis for CNN