Paul Ryan nixes October deadline for tax reform

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) pushed back the deadline for passing Republicans' tax reform bill, breaking with legislative director Marc Short's specific assurances earlier this week that the bill would clear the House in October and the Senate in November, Politico and Wisconsin State Journal report.

"[House Republicans] had different opinions on how to advance health-care reform," Ryan said Thursday. "On tax reform, we're largely in agreement." State Journal adds, though, that Ryan "said he plans to introduce a tax overhaul bill in September with the goal of passing it through the House by the end of the year" — notably dropping the White House's October timeline.

Republicans plan to lower business tax rates and scale back individual federal income tax brackets from seven to three. Ryan, though, warned "if we don’t do our job we will depress turnout [in 2018]. I am frustrated as well." Ryan also shrugged criticisms of an ineffective Congress onto the Senate: "In the House, we've actually done most of our agenda except for welfare reform and tax reform. There's just been a lot of distractions out there, whether it's Russia, or tweeting, or whatever."

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The Senate broke for recess on Thursday with no major legislative accomplishments to boast in its first six-plus months under the Trump administration.