Baucus Promises Discussion Drafts As Budget Conferees Focus On Spending

House Ways and Means Chair Dave Camp, R-Mich., and Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus, D-Mont., promised continued progress on tax reform last week as the conference committee on the budget turned away from taxes to focus on spending.

The conference committee was created as part of the agreement to end the government shutdown, and instructed to come back with a deal by Dec. 13. Democrats have pushed including tax increases in an agreement, but leaders have indicated they are more focused on replacing the automatic “sequestration” spending cuts with other savings elsewhere or new user fees.

Camp has pushed to include a framework or expedited process for tax reform as part of a budget deal, but the effort looks increasingly unlikely, and he has reaffirmed his commitment to moving a bill through committee. He has promised mark up a full tax reform bill before the end of the year, and could release a draft at any time.