Passing tax reform by the August recess is not likely, Sen. Mitch McConnell said in a Thursday interview with Politico.
The Senate majority leader would not commit to a timetable for getting it done, saying that lawmakers are faced with "some constraints." One of those is that health care legislation must pass or fail before a tax plan can be considered, McConnell explained.
The Kentucky Republican said that he did not expect Republicans and Democrats to be willing to work with each other to make reforms happen, referencing a bipartisan plan between both parties that happened in 1986.
"I think it's safe to say this has not been a kumbaya moment here at the beginning of this new administration," he said.
McConnell noted the difficulty of putting together the reforms, but work had begun.
"It is complicated. All of those discussions are already under way," McConnell said.
The Senate's recess is tentatively set to begin July 31, with the senators returning to Washington in the first week of September, according to The Hill.
Later Thursday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that President Donald Trump intends to keep to the schedule he had already announced, according to CNBC.
"I think we feel confident that we're going to get a lot done, continue to get a lot done this year," Spicer said.
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