House Majority Leader Paul Ryan (R-WI) is holding up tax reform.
According to Bloomberg Politics, the Speaker remains adamant on pushing his idea of a border tax that is unpopular with Republicans.
Paul Ryan’s tenure as House speaker will be judged in part on whether he can deliver a Republican tax plan. But rather than spearhead the effort to reach consensus, Ryan is still clinging to his own widely rejected proposal.
The resulting impasse could relegate the House to the sidelines as the Trump administration and Republican senators try to come up with an alternative plan. The worst-case scenario for Republicans is that they never find one.
Blame Ryan’s wonky streak. Unlike most of his predecessors — who don’t usually hatch their own proposals but rather sift through the options to find the one that can pass — Ryan has been unusually invested in the details of major legislation.
And on taxes, he still maintains that the rest of the party will come around to the merits of his idea, namely a border-adjustment concept Ryan has proposed to help pay for a steep cut to the corporate tax rate.
Ryan is overplaying his hand as Speaker. He mishandled the ObamaCare replacement bill and now his stubborn adherence to the border adjustment tax is blocking tax reform.
Ryan is failing as a leader.
