Trump warns Congress not to disappoint him on tax reform

President Trump on Wednesday warned members of Congress not to disappoint him and the nation on tax reform, predicting that lawmakers would make a “comeback” to pass a comprehensive measure to overhaul the tax code.

“This is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver real tax reform for everyday hardworking American, and I am fully committed to working with Congress to get this job done, and I don’t want to be disappointed by Congress,” Trump said during a speech in Springfield, Mo., focused on tax reform. “Do you understand me?”

“I think Congress is going to make a comeback. I hope so. I’ll tell you what, the United States is counting on it.”

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Trump has openly fumed over the Senate’s narrow rejection last month of a scaled-back measure to repeal and replace ObamaCare and has carried on a feud with Republican lawmakers in recent weeks.

The president’s relationship with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has become frosty in the ensuing weeks. McConnell said earlier this month that Trump has “excessive expectations” of Congress’s ability to advance his agenda. 

Trump’s comments came as lawmakers head into a busy month, in which they must pass legislation to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling.

GOP leaders have signaled that, in the wake of the healthcare legislation’s failure, comprehensive tax reform will be a top legislative priority. 

Trump on Wednesday called for simplifying the process of individual income taxes, lowering the corporate tax rate and encouraging corporations to bring the profits and workers back from overseas.

Meanwhile, the nation’s attention has turned in recent days to the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. Emergency funding for the recovery effort will join an already crowded September schedule for lawmakers.