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'Our Tax Code Is a Giant, Self-Inflicted Wound': Will the GOP Deliver on Tax Reform?

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WASHINGTON – Tax reform is one of the biggest issues in Washington this fall, and Republicans are hoping to pass a plan that increases jobs, strengthens the economy and is also pro-family.

Republicans in the House, Senate, and White House are promising to simplify the tax code in a way that provides relief for all Americans.

"Our tax code is a giant, self-inflicted economic wound," President Donald Trump said. "We need tax reform that is pro-growth, pro-jobs, pro-worker, pro-family, and yes, pro-American."

President Trump's daughter, Ivanka, is also getting actively involved in the administration's push to reform the tax code.

She spoke to a group of pro-family advocates this week alongside members of Congress to discuss ways to take care of the needs of families by expanding the child tax credit.  

"It is very important to the president and this administration that this is really a tax cut for the middle class and working families," she said. "The one way we can deliver a tax cut is through a more generous child tax credit. This administration is pushing for the largest child tax credit possible."

Ralph Reed, president of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, is a strong supporter of increasing the child tax credit. He says he helped President George W. Bush double it to a thousand dollars 16 years ago, but it has not been increased since.

"We think it's a heck of a lot more effective for America's children to let those mothers and fathers keep the money then it is to send it to Washington and let bureaucrats and politicians decide how to spend the money," Reed told CBN News.

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, says it's time to get rid of many of the problems in the current tax code.

"Economic growth and creating more jobs is terribly important, but then also going through the code and taking out both the inefficiencies, things that are special breaks for some industries and some groups, getting rid of those and making sure that families are a central part of what we are worried about," he explained.

Norquist says he's pleased that Republicans in the White House and both houses of Congress seem be unified on the tax plan.

"The good news is (House Speaker) Paul Ryan told me they are 97 percent in agreement – the House, Senate and the White House," he told CBN News. "So now it's just a question of knowing the ingredients going in. It's just how much of each."

Republicans seem confident they will deliver on their promise of meaningful tax reform by the end of this year.

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About The Author

Abigail
Robertson

Abigail Robertson serves as the White House Correspondent for CBN News, where she has worked since 2015. As a reporter, Abigail covers stories from a Christian perspective on American politics and the news of the day. Before her role at the White House, Abigail covered Capitol Hill, where she interviewed notable lawmakers such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. During her time on the Hill, Abigail loved highlighting how God is moving in the House and Senate by covering different ministries on Capitol Hill and sharing lawmakers’ testimonies and