INTERVIEW – LARRY KUDLOW – CNBC Senior Contributor and host of The Larry Kudlow Show on WMAL Saturdays at 7 pm and author of “JFK and the Reagan Revolution: A Secret History of American Prosperity”
TOPIC: CONGRESS IS BACK: FEMA Funding, Debt Ceiling and Tax Reform
>> Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Meadows: Don’t Tie Harvey Aid to Debt Ceiling. Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows is a fiscal conservative, and even he doesn’t want Republicans attempting to attach Harvey aid for Texas to the debt ceiling, the North Carolina representative told The Washington Post. “The Harvey relief would pass on its own, and to use that as a vehicle to get people to vote for a debt ceiling is not appropriate,” Meadows told the Post. “We’re going to fund Harvey relief without a doubt, but I think it just sends the wrong message when you start attaching it to the debt ceiling.” Lawmakers return from summer recess next week and have until Sept. 29 to raise the debt ceiling to avoid a federal default.
>> Mnuchin: Congress must tie Harvey aid to raising debt limit. WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday called on Congress to combine a $7.9 billion disaster relief package for Harvey with an increase in the nation’s borrowing limit, saying it was time to “put politics aside” so storm victims in Texas can get the help they need. “The president and I believe that it should be tied to the Harvey funding. Our first priority is to make sure that the state gets money,” he said. “It is critical, and to do that, we need to make sure we raise the debt limit.”
>> Trump’s meeting with tax negotiators kicks off fall reform push. (Politico) — When President Donald Trump sits down Tuesday with tax reform negotiators from his administration and Congress, they’re hoping it will mark the start of a final push to get legislation to Trump’s desk before the year is through. Agreement on a plan to cut taxes for individuals and businesses, along with more fundamental changes to the tax code, would allow the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees to start putting meat on the bone with legislative language. The major issues to settle remain how low to push tax rates, particularly for corporations; whether and how to pay for most of the package; and if parts of it will have to be temporary to comply with budget rules. Senior members of Trump’s administration have been pushing an ambitious timetable for tax reform for months, suggesting a detailed plan would get through the House in October and clear the Senate by November. Tuesday’s gathering will be the first time Trump has joined the “Big Six” negotiators, who began meeting in late April. The group comprises House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Sept. 1 that the meeting shouldn’t be taken as a sign that a plan is nearing completion.
