Tax Day Conundrum: Squishy Centrist and Liberal Republicans Might Torpedo Tax Reform

Tax Day is here, and President Trump and Republicans in the House and Senate are finally talking about tax reform. Unfortunately, a group of centrist and liberal Republicans may derail conservatives’ best efforts.

Currently, the tax code is a complex monstrosity of high taxes with special interest loopholes. It has been decades since the political landscape made fundamental, pro-growth tax reform a real possibility, and Republicans have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enact substantive change.

However, we have recently witnessed the power of a flip-flop from the Tuesday Group to completely destroy such an opportunity. Named after the day of their weekly meeting, the Tuesday Group is a sizable collection of squishy-middle and liberal Republicans in the House. When I say "Republicans," I am not suggesting they have a lot in common with grassroots Republicans across the country. I mean that it says "Republican" by their name on Wikipedia. And when I say "flip-flop," it’s not that they bent a little or changed their messaging on Obamacare repeal; it’s that they completely reversed their position.