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By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON Republicans aren't usually big on raising taxes, but they're really eager to eliminate the federal deduction for state and local taxes.

Why? A look at the states that benefit the most from the tax break helps explain it they are all Democratic strongholds. New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and California top the list of states where taxpayers get the biggest deductions. Not a single Republican-leaning state ranks in the top 10.

"Although Republicans usually recoil at any type of tax increase, cutting this tax break would almost be fun for them," said Martin Sullivan, chief economist for Tax Analysts. "It provides massively disproportionate deductions to high-tax states controlled by Democrats."

Proposals by House Republican leaders and President Donald Trump would repeal the tax break as part of their packages to overhaul the American tax code. But they are getting a lot of pushback from Republican lawmakers in Democratic-controlled states.

The standoff illustrates how hard it is for Congress to eliminate any popular tax break, even one that primarily benefits the ruling party's political opponents.

Almost 44 million claimed the deduction in 2014, according to IRS statistics. That's nearly every taxpayer who itemizes deductions, a little less than 30 percent of all taxpayers. Sullivan analyzed which states would be hit hardest by repealing the tax deduction. The Associated Press did a similar analysis and came to the same conclusion.

Nationally, the average deduction is about $11,800, but it is much bigger in many blue states. New York is tops with an average deduction of more than $21,000. Connecticut is next at $18,900, followed by New Jersey at $17,200 and California at $17,100.

These are states with high property values, high costs of living, high incomes and relatively high state and local taxes compared to other states. They are also states President Donald Trump lost in last year's election. Though the president is from New York, he lost the state to Democrat Hillary Clinton by 22 percentage points.

The highest-ranked state won by Trump is Wisconsin, which came in at No. 13, with an average deduction of $11,300.

At the bottom is Alaska, with an average deduction of $4,800. It is followed by Tennessee and Alabama. Among the bottom 10 states, Nevada and New Mexico are the only ones won by Clinton.

The deduction allows taxpayers to write off real estate taxes, and state and local income taxes. If your state doesn't have an income tax, you can deduct sales taxes. The deduction is heavily weighted to families with high incomes. Seventy-five percent of the benefits went to families making more than $100,000.

Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, says eliminating a tax break that helps some people will help lawmakers lower tax rates for everyone.

"We're proposing a much simpler code with lower rates where everyone gets help whether they are paying their state and local taxes or they are putting their kids in college," said Brady, who chairs the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

Eliminating the tax break would raise $1.3 trillion over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, money that could be used to help pay for lower income tax rates.

The House Republican plan would eliminate most itemized deductions while nearly doubling the standard deduction, to $24,000 for married couples. Notably, the plan would keep the deductions for mortgage interest and charitable contributions.

The White House and congressional Republicans have been privately negotiating their tax package for weeks, with no public sign that they're near a consensus. Democrats have been excluded from the talks.

Some Republicans claim the deduction for state and local taxes encourages states to spend and tax more because the taxes can be deducted at the federal level. Some also complain that the deduction forces low-tax Republican states to subsidize high taxes in Democratic states.

However, many blue-state Republicans don't buy those arguments. They note that most high-cost blue states send more tax dollars to Washington than they receive in federal benefits. And who benefits from those tax dollars? Low-cost red states where incomes are generally lower.

"If we're going to have a discussion about who is subsidizing whom, it must be across the board. It can't be just one provision," said Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J.

Lance is teaming up with Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., D-N.J., in an effort to maintain the tax break.

"In New Jersey, (the deduction) encourages very strong public schools," Lance said. "I want to maintain strong public schools. For there to be strong public schools, there has to be adequate spending."

Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., said he brings up the deduction every time he sees Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, one of Trump's top advisers on taxes.

"The minute he walked into the room and saw me he pointed and said, 'I know, state and local tax deduction,'" MacArthur said.

"I know the White House is committed to bringing taxes down for everybody," MacArthur said. "But people in high-tax states under the plan they're proposing would basically be at a break-even while everyone else in the county enjoys tax relief. That's not fair."

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Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter at http://twitter.com/stephenatap

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Republicans embrace tax hike targeting Democratic states - WRAL.com

The Republican Party lost its soul a long time ago, and now, the devil gets his due.

Born and raised Republican, I remember as a child feeling guilty about the cruelty of Republican policies. The presumption of the GOP was that people are poor because of their own irresponsible behavior. And racism was not only accepted, but encouraged.

I wanted to scream then, and I want to scream now. Doesn't anyone go to the library to read about Jim Crow, sundown towns, lynchings? Because despite civil rights laws, I recently worked for a small company that refused to hire blacks but got away with it because hiring was done by word of mouth.

And now, voter suppression is back. Pretending to address voter corruption, voter ID requirements make it difficult for the poor to vote because the poor can't afford to drive. But if you've got your gun FOID, you're good to go.

The Evangelicals further take the cake. Our president's behavior during his entire adult life was one of decadence, depravity, deception, downright criminality, vengeance and vicious hatred, but the holy roller hypocrites support him blindly and unequivocally.

It's not likely to improve anytime soon because Republicans are more close-minded than ever. Polls show most Republicans believe colleges, education and science are a bad thing.

But 99 percent of Americans may get smacked on the backside because of Republican policy. Speaker Paul Ryan embodies the Republican philosophy of atheist Ayn Rand who believed the wealthy should be fed caviar while the poor and middle class scramble for crumbs. It explains why Republicans want to gut Medicare, reduce Social Security benefits and give tax cuts to the filthy rich.

That's how Republicans roll. I'm glad I shed that mindset 40 years ago and wish everyone would see the GOP's vicious agenda.

More:
Do Republicans lack a soul? - Kankakee Daily Journal

Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.) on Saturday called out Republicans for not speaking out about the investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Speaking at the OZY Fest in New York City on Saturday, the Florida Republican and former opponent to President Trump gave the crowd a series of rules for politics, what he called "Jeb's rules."

The first rule wasn't caught on camera, but Bush's second "rule" spoke directly to the Russia investigation swirling around the Trump administration.

"If your opponent does things that you, your headexplodes on, if Barack ObamaBarack ObamaJeb Bush calls out Republicans silent on Trump's Russia probe Trump launches all-out assault on Mueller probe Immigration agents planning raids next week targeting teenage gang members MORE did something as it's related to Russia, you say 'this is outrageous,' all this stuff, then when your guy does the same thing, have the same passion to be critical," Bush said.

The remark caused the room to erupt in cheers.

It wasn't clear exactly which Russia and former President Obama-related mattersBush was referring to.

"Rule number three: Be civil," Bush said. "The idea that you shout profanities at one another and expect the other guy or gal to respond like 'that's so nice of you, to call me a name,' this is horrible."

These aren't Bush's first remarks attacking Trump since he took office. In May, Bush suggested his prediction that Trump would be a "chaos" president had come true.

"When I ran for office, I said he is a chaos candidate and would be a chaos president," Bush said at the Skybridge Alternatives (SALT) hedge fund conference in Las Vegas in May.

"Unfortunately, so far chaos organizes the presidency right now," he added.

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Jeb Bush calls out Republicans silent on Trump's Russia probe - The Hill (blog)

Inhis interview with the New York Times, President Trump unabashedly advanced the notion that the rule of law and the interests of the United States are subservient to a higher obligation. Loyalty to the president not even the presidency, but rather Trump personally has become the only fixed principle of the administration. Words, laws, rules, facts and people have no value or meaning in and of themselves; they are instruments at Trumps disposal to advance his own interests.

Now, you might say, none of this is all that new. A president who will not liquidate his businesses, who will not cut off receipt of monies from foreign governments, who will not release his tax returns, who will not hire anyone who has publicly criticized him and who will not tolerate those who refuse, as former FBI director James B. Comey did, to pledge loyalty, is by definition a man who places himself above the national interest, the law and the ethos of democracy. Not unlike Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump adopts the role of mafia don a man immune from restraints and who can, through intimidation, bend others to his will.

All of this is contrary to the principles that conservatives have bandied about for years. A movement and party devoted to constitutional government, the rule of law, religious liberty (the state does not have dibs on ones conscience), market economics (not crony capitalism) and democratic values (both civic values at home and defense of the liberal international order overseas) now serve the interests of Trump. They defend, rationalize and normalize his rhetoric and conduct because they havent the nerve to speak out.

I had to laugh when CNN reported the reaction of four GOP senators:

One gets the impression that the President doesnt understand or he willfully disregards the fact that the attorney general and law enforcement in general they are not his personal lawyers to defend and protect him, one GOP senator told CNN. He has (his) own personal lawyers, and of course, the White House has the White House counsels office.

That Republican senator and two others spoke on background with CNN to avoid prompting a fight with the President. Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins was the only one of the four to speak on the record in response to Trumps comments about Sessions, acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and former FBI Director James Comey as well as his venting about the special counsel investigation into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election.

How, well, pathetic is that? They cannot voice their concerns on the record because Trump will send out a mean tweet? Seriously, is Collins the only GOP senator not cowering in the shadows?

Republicans wring their hands or more often shrug their shoulders. What can be done? What choice do we have? Thats the attitude of supplicants toward royalty, not toward free men and women who have taken an oath to defend the Constitution.

The Post, meanwhile, reports, Some of President Trumps lawyers are exploring ways to limit or undercut special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs Russia investigation, building a case against what they allege are his conflicts of interest and discussing the presidents authority to grant pardons, according to people familiar with the effort. This should kill any argument that the president has nothing to hide or that the Russia story is fake news.Now is the time to head this off before the president acts and throws the country into a constitutional crisis.

All 100 senators should sign on to a letter vowing to defend the Justice Department and the FBI from political manipulation and intimidation.Republicans should be crystal clear that they would consider firing the special counsel to be an abuse of power, an impermissible obstruction of justice. They should lay down their own marker, their own red line, for a change.Next, House and Senate Republicans must get serious about oversight into Trumpsand his familys ethical conflicts and potential violation of the emoluments clause. They should hold hearings. Subpoena documents. Hold him to the ethical and legal standards that every prior president has followed. That would undercut the Trumpian presumption that if Trump does it or wants it, its legal and appropriate.

Republicans are not bystanders, but rather, part of a coequal branch of government. We are hurtling toward a constitutional standoff. If Republicans cannot fulfill their oversight role, its time to leave or at least turn off the crocodile tears.

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Republicans are whining on background about Trump. It's pathetic. - Washington Post

In 1990, George H.W. Bush signed the Americans With Disabilities Act, which gave disabled people more freedom to move about society. In 1996, Republicans passed and Bill Clinton signed a welfare reform law that tied benefits to work requirements so that recipients would develop the skills they need to succeed in the labor force. In 2003, Republicans passed a law giving Americans a new prescription drug benefit, which used market mechanisms to give them more control over how to use it.

These legislative accomplishments were about using government in positive ways to widen peoples options. They aimed at many of the same goals as Democrats broader health coverage, lower poverty rates but relied on less top-down mechanisms to get there.

Over the past few decades Republicans cast off the freedom-as-capacity tendency. They became, exclusively, the party of freedom as detachment. They became the Get Government Off My Back Party, the Leave Us Alone Coalition, the Drain the Swamp Party, the Dont Tread on Me Party.

Philosophically you can embrace or detest this shift, but one thing is indisputable: It has been a legislative disaster. The Republican Party has not been able to pass a single important piece of domestic legislation under this philosophic rubric. Despite all the screaming and campaigns, all the government shutdown fiascos, the G.O.P. hasnt been able to eliminate a single important program or reform a single important entitlement or agency.

Today, the G.O.P. is flirting with its most humiliating failure, the failure to pass a health reform bill, even though the party controls all the levers of power. Worse, Republicans have managed to destroy any semblance of a normal legislative process along the way.

There are many reasons Republicans have been failing as a governing party, but the primary one is intellectual. The freedom-as-detachment philosophy is a negative philosophy. It is about cutting back, not building.

A party operating under this philosophy is not going to spawn creative thinkers who come up with positive new ideas for how to help people. Its not going to nurture policy entrepreneurs. Its not going to respect ideas, period. This is not a party thats going to produce a lot of modern-day versions of Jack Kemp.

Second, Republican voters may respond to the freedom-as-detachment rhetoric during campaigns. It feels satisfying to say that everything would be fine if only those stuck-up elites in Washington got out of the way. But operationally, most Republicans support freedom-as-capacity legislation.

If youre a regular American, the main threats to your freedom are illness, family breakdown, social decay, technological disruption and globalization. If youre being buffeted by massive forces beyond your control, you dont want legislation that says: Guess what? Youre on your own!

The Republicans could have come up with a health bill that helps people cope with illness and nurtures their capacities, a bill that offers catastrophic care to the millions of American left out of Obamacare, or health savings accounts to encourage preventive care. Republicans could have been honest with the American people and said, Were proposing a bill that preserves Obamacare and tries to make it sustainable. They could have touted some of the small reforms that are in fact buried in the Senate bill.

But this is the Drain the Swamp Party. The Republican centerpiece is: Were going to cut your Medicaid.

So now we have a health care bill that everybody hates. It has a 17 percent approval rating. It has no sponsors, no hearings, no champions and no advocates. As usual, Republican legislators have got themselves into a position where they have to vote for a bill they all despise. And if you think G.O.P. dysfunction is bad now, wait until we get to the debt ceiling wrangle, the budget fight and the tax reform crackup.

Sure, Donald Trump is a boob, but that doesnt explain why Republicans cant govern from Capitol Hill. The answer is that were living at a time when the prospects for the middle class are in sharp decline. And Republicans offer nothing but negativity, detachment, absence and an ax.

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A version of this op-ed appears in print on July 21, 2017, on Page A26 of the New York edition with the headline: Republicans Cant Pass Bills.

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Republicans Can't Pass Bills - New York Times