Capitol Report: Ex-Clinton official expects Republican Congress to be more productive
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) A former adviser to President Bill Clinton on Thursday said Congress will be more productive under complete Republican control.
Robert Wescott, who was a special assistant to the president for international economics and is now president of Keybridge, spoke to members of The National Economists Club Thursday at a luncheon, during which he offered predictions for the GDP (3% growth next year), the lay of the U.S. economic landscape and what policies they could expect to see come to the forefront come Nov. 4.
With a 67.2% chance of taking over in the Senate, according to FiveThirtyEights forecast, Wescott believes the possible right-controlled Congress will be more productive than that of previous years.
Also see: Senate polls show Republican momentum
I think the Republicans will want to prove something, Wescott said, show they can get some stuff done heading into 2016.
First order of business: The Affordable Care Act. Mentioning that there are also Democrats who would like to see something done with it, Wescott said he doesnt see any way they dont address the law.
The Affordable Care Act is going to be a biggie, Wescott said, offering Republicans choices as either repealing or reforming it. Its going to be one of the things to watch early on.
I would recommend the reform path but thats just my view.
The other big focus for Republicans will be corporate tax reform, or at least Wescott thinks so. While saying there are people on both sides who want lower corporate tax rates, Wescott mentioned a lot of people think theres not a snowballs chance this will happen.
But he sees it as an issue of great magnitude and importance that, if done, will help the economy continue to grow.
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Capitol Report: Ex-Clinton official expects Republican Congress to be more productive