ON THE BALL – AT 11:56 A.M. ET:  House Republicans are marking up, making changes in, their tax bill.   The adults in Washington understand that the final bill sent to President Trump, will look entirely different from the House bill now being developed.  The Senate hasn't even weighed in.

And it appears that the Republicans are listening closely to critics.  It turned out that a version of the House bill would have actually increased taxes on the middle class as years went by.   No way, says the Trump White House.  From Newsmax: 

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said Wednesday that if the Republican tax plan contains any increases for middle-class Americans, President Donald Trump "will not sign it."

"If our numbers here at the White House show the same thing, if they show taxes are going up on the middle class — on the House plan, the Senate plan, on some combination of the two — he won't sign it," Mulvaney, the former South Carolina Republican congressman, told Erin Burnett on CNN.

"He wants lower taxes on hard workers — and he wants it to be easier for them to pay their taxes," he said. "That's one principle.

"The other is he wants that lower corporate rate" of 20 percent, from the current 35 percent, Mulvaney said.

"If those two things are violated, he's not going to sign a piece of legislation," he told Burnett.

"At the end of the day, if we believe this is a middle-class tax increase, he's not going to sign it."

COMMENT:  It couldn't be clearer.  Some "journalists" act as if they've never seen a bill developed before.  Well, maybe they haven't. 

I think Republicans are absolutely determined to get a good bill passed, although the final actions may stretch into 2018.  If there's a delay, CNN and its brethren will jump all over the president.  But if the final bill is good, and Americans get a good break, that's all that will count.

November 9, 2017