Republicans are desperate to pass tax reform

The GOP draft bill would cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy. No Images? Click here         The GOP is desperate to pass tax reform Republicans finally unveiled their tax reform legislation Thursday with a draft bill that would dramatically cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy. GOP legislators generally stuck to their already released framework for the legislation: lowering individual and corporate tax rates while eliminating most individual deductions. But they also showed a willingness to jettison major aspects of their plan in order to get a bill through Congress. With President Donald Trump’s approval ratings at historic lows, Republicans want to have something ― anything ― to point to come next November. And having already failed to repeal and replace Obamacare, GOP lawmakers seem to think it’s a political necessity that they provide tax cuts. “Our base is expecting us to get this done. We promised we’d get it done,” Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) told HuffPost on Wednesday, noting that his party “didn’t deliver” on health care. READ MORE     WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING? Sam Clovis, President Donald Trump’s pick to become the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientist, has withdrawn his nomination. Clovis, a former talk radio host and political science professor, was named as one of the Trump campaign officials in contact with embattled former adviser George Papadopoulos. READ MORE Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), a prominent climate change denier who chairs the House Science Committee, announced that he is retiring from the House after his term ends next year. The news comes as several other GOP lawmakers have announced recently that they are stepping down, with some facing tough primary challenges.   READ MORE President Donald Trump nominated Federal Reserve governor Jerome Powell to chair the Fed. Widely viewed as only modestly more conservative than current Chair Janet Yellen, Powell is expected to broadly maintain the policies the Fed has pursued since 2008. READ MORE    .     ICYMI President Donald Trump has reportedly ruled out a set of protections that some consider the best hope for undocumented young people at risk of deportation. Donna Brazile, the former interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, opened up about the financial chaos within the DNC and said that Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign gained control of the committee well before Clinton was the party’s nominee. U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his call that the Uzbek immigrant accused of killing eight people when he drove a truck down a New York City bike path should get the death penalty.    . Want more?  Judge Worries Paul Manafort Is A Flight Risk, Admonishes His Lawyer Roy Moore’s Son Has a Murky Employment Situation With His Dad’s Foundation People Have Serious Questions About This Dictionary’s Trump-Themed ‘Word Of The Year’   How will Trump’s administration impact you? Sign up for our email and find out. Did a friend send you this? Subscribe here. Like what you see? Share it. Want more? Here are two other newsletters you'll love: The Morning Email and Must Reads. ©2017 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe    . - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe