WATCH: Reps say Trump will stay involved in tax reform even while overseas

A handful of GOP lawmakers say that President Trump’s trip to Asia won’t stop him from participating in the tax-reform debate back home.

“I have no doubt that the president will be involved wherever he is … I have no doubt he can communicate even though there’s a 13 hour time difference — he’ll be involved,” Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) said to The Hill when asked if it would be easier or more difficult to pass the much-anticipated package while the president is out of country.

“I don’t think it makes a difference either way,” fellow Northeast lawmaker Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) said of the president’s location during the upcoming negotiations.

“It’s really just having to decide whether on balance the whole thing is good for our constituents. … We don’t need the president to tell us that. He’s done his job and helped us push the agenda and now it’s our job to decide whether or not it’s a good product,” Katko added.

Both Katko and MacArthur opposed the GOP budget resolution that barely passed the House last week.

Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) said the president being overseas won’t affect the bill, noting the complexity of overhauling the U.S. tax code.

“It’s very complicated, very difficult and I don’t think it matters whether President Trump is here or there,” Jones said.

For Democrats, the calculation is slightly different. Will the president being away help their cause in opposing the GOP tax package?

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) said “bear in mind as long as he can have access to tweeting — he’s still in play … If he’s flying overseas and in different time zones — who knows how often he’s going to be throwing” tweets into the debate.