President Donald Trump will bring his pitch to overhaul the tax code to North Dakota on Wednesday with an unlikely guest in tow: the state’s Democratic senator, Heidi Heitkamp.
Heitkamp, who is facing re-election next year, will join the rest of the state’s congressional delegation aboard Air Force One as they travel to the capital of Bismark, where Trump is planning to argue that his proposed cuts are worthy of bipartisan support.
Trump will point to North Dakota’s history of cross-party support for reductions to the tax rate, according to speech excerpts provided by the White House.
"I want all of America to be inspired by the North Dakota example," he will say. "This state is a reminder of what can happen when we promote American jobs instead of obstructing them.”
The inclusion of Heitkamp on the trip is intended as, at least, public outreach to Democrats to assist in the tax push after a series of legislative defeats, including the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, that came after some Republican lawmakers joined a unified Democratic opposition. But Republican leaders have rejected Democratic demands not to advance tax legislation through the reconciliation process, which would allow them to bypass a Senate filibuster and pass a bill on a partisan basis.
Presidents have long used flights aboard the iconic aircraft as a treat to woo over crucial swing votes on pivotal legislation; former President Barack Obama would often travel to the home districts of House members he needed as he pursued the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
The White House has attempted a more traditional sales effort for the tax legislation, holding weekly strategy meetings within the administration as congressional and White House negotiators work to flesh out the tax code’s overhaul. The administration has held weekly conference calls with outside conservative political advocacy and business groups, and on Tuesday Trump huddled with the advisers and congressional leaders shepherding his effort on Capitol Hill.
“We’re going to cut taxes,” Trump vowed during a meeting with the so-called Big Six tax negotiators: National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and the leaders of the congressional tax-writing committees.
"We’re going to reduce taxes for people, for individuals, for middle-income families. We are going to reduce taxes for our companies. And those companies are going to produce jobs."
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