How confident is Rep. Norman that GOP tax cuts effort will pass?

U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said he felt “90 percent” certain that Republican congressional leaders would be able to agree on a tax cuts bill that could be signed into law by Christmas.

The House passed a $1.5 trillion overhaul of business and personal income taxes Thursday, moving one step closer toward making the biggest tax code rewrite in three decades.

A similar bill package was approved this week by the Senate Finance Committee and sent to the full Senate on a party-line 14-12 vote.

Supporters say the bills will slash the corporate tax rate and reduce personal income tax rates for many. Opponents say they would eventually produce higher taxes for low- and middle-income earners but deliver deep tax reductions for those better off.

Norman was among 227 House Republicans who voted to approve the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Thirteen Republicans voted against the bill, while no Democrats voted for it.

“It’s a victory for the taxpayer, not the tax collector,” said Norman of Rock Hill. “It’s not just a slogan, it’s true.”

Norman made his comments prior to a visit Friday morning to Fort Mill’s Nation Ford Chemical plant. He also was scheduled to meet Friday afternoon with an American Legion group in Indian Land.

Norman said he felt confident that Republicans would come together under a common bill. He said it’s been tricky to work through the details because it affects different people in different states.

He said the plan is important for South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District because small and large businesses would be able to expense capital investments. Farmers could purchase a tractor or additional equipment to expand their operations, he argued.

“It stimulates business and it’s an incentive for business to expand,” he said.

Norman admits the House bill didn’t have everything he wants. Namely, he said he wants to lower the capital gains tax. He said he feels limiting the state and local income tax deduction at $10,000 isn’t ideal.

But Norman said he believes it was best for everyone to agree on the “major terms,” including a reduction in the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent. He said the reduction would incentivize more companies to invest in America.

Republicans are hoping to send a compromise bill for Trump to sign by Christmas. Norman said there was a “90 percent chance” that Senate and House Republicans would be able to come together on a plan.

“The Senate understands that getting this country back on a growth rate that affects everybody. ... One and a half percent is not acceptable,” he said. “Three percent or greater is possible.”

The Joint Committee on Taxation, Congress’s bipartisan referee on tax policy, said this week that the amended Senate’s version of the tax bill will raise taxes on low-income Americans beginning in 2021.

The proposed Senate bill also includes a section to repeal the so-called individual mandate that requires most people buy health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson became the first GOP senator to publicly state his opposition for the Senate proposal.

Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Jeff Flake and John McCain of Arizona, Bob Corker of Tennessee and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have yet to commit to backing the Senate tax measure.

Norman on Roy Moore

Norman said Friday morning that Republican judge Roy Moore should step away from his campaign for an Alabama Senate seat if allegations that he sexually assaulted numerous teenage girls are true.

Claims have surfaced this month that Moore, who’s running for a seat in the U.S. Senate, pursued numerous teenage girls in his 30s and sexually assaulted some of them, with one girl as young as 14.

Moore has vehemently denied the allegations and maintains that he will not drop out of the race.

“There’s no hell hot enough for those who abused children,” Norman said. “If that were true, he ought to quit, resign, never take office.”

Norman said he was heartened to see that more women have come forward with their stories rather than staying quiet. He said the allegations against U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) are “bad,” but said it’s a good thing that women are coming forward to be heard.

A woman says Franken “forcibly kissed and groped” her during a USO tour in 2006, according to a Washington Post article. Franken, a former writer for “Saturday Night Live,” was an Air America radio host at the time. Franken has apologized for his behavior and said he would welcome an ethics probe into his conduct.

“The good news is that now there are people speaking up and they’re coming forward,” Norman said.

This story was originally published November 17, 2017 at 3:55 PM with the headline "How confident is Rep. Norman that GOP tax cuts effort will pass?."