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
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.
Watch the video above to hear the lawmakers in their own words.
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