Herd of dinosaurs distracts OMB director Mulvaney during Fort Mill visit

Budget chief Mick Mulvaney was trying his best to hear a question on proposed tax reform efforts during a press conference Friday morning in Fort Mill.

But something strange caught his eye.

“I’m sorry, but it’s just really hard to take your question seriously when there’s two Tyrannosaurus rexes right out there,” said Mulvaney.

Mulvaney had spotted a few of the hundreds of employees at Fort Mill’s Movement Mortgage site who chose to dress up for work Friday in Halloween costumes. The employees enjoy dressing up on the Friday before Halloween and compete for the honor of the best costume.

Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Donald Trump, was scheduled to speak about the latest tax reform efforts at a private business roundtable with around 40 business leaders at the company.

Several employees dressed as dinosaurs all streamed through a side door while Mulvaney was hosting the presser.

Mulvaney joked that it was one of the more distracting backgrounds he’s spoken near.

The House of Representatives narrowly passed a budget resolution this week that clears the path to fast-track reform legislation. Such a reform could be seen as a major victory for Trump and congressional Republican leadership.

Republicans were able to pass the bill 216-212, despite some opposition within the party over a plan to eliminate the State and Local Tax deduction (SALT) in the tax reform framework.

The budget includes reconciliation rules that will allow the Senate to pass tax reform with a simple majority, rather than the usual 60 to overcome a filibuster.

The framework also includes cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, restructuring tax brackets and eliminating the estate tax.

Democrats have expressed distaste for the plan, which they say unfairly favors the wealthiest Americans.

Mulvaney said he predicts some Democrats will eventually vote for the bill, but he blamed the current political environment that they couldn’t be more open about it.

“It would be very difficult for a Democrat to provide that 50th or that 51st vote,” he said, “because then they would get blamed by their own party for giving the president a victory.”

He said it was important to slash the corporate tax rate because he believes it will put more money in the average family’s pocket.

He said the connection between successful American businesses and families has been broken because of the current tax system, which he says encourages businesses to move profits overseas.

Workers make more money when American businesses keep their profits and their workers in the country, Mulvaney said.

Mulvaney said he was meeting with business leaders across the Carolinas to help educate people about the latest tax reform efforts. He said Movement Mortgage is a “huge player” in the south Charlotte, northern Lancaster County and northern York County business circle.

Mulvaney said he felt “disappointed” over the recent news that Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) would step away from the Senate after admitting frustration over Trump.

Mulvaney said the administration would not be measured by Trump’s relationship with senators: It would be measured by whether or not the Trump agenda can be passed.

“At the end of the day, this is a results-driven administration,” Mulvaney said. “Folks will measure us... by whether we can pass tax reform or repeal (the Affordable Care Act). I know (Corker and Flake) and they wouldn’t vote against a good tax bill because of the president, and know they wouldn’t vote for a bad one because they like the president.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Herd of dinosaurs distracts OMB director Mulvaney during Fort Mill visit."