tax reforms particularly difficult because republicans don t have a lot of votes to lose if they want to pass it. and certainly democrats will probably be difficult to get on board. but we re also watching for that, whether or not democrats are going to be amenable to any of the gop proposals. rick: we saw something from the president in usa today, during maria bartiromo s sit-down with the president, he seemed sensitive to concerns about the impact of this tax plan on the middle class. what do you know about that? well, he certainly has come out and been very adamant about the fact that he wants to cut taxes for middle class, he wants to help families, and that s been a big part of the things that he s said about tax reform since his campaign. so that obviously is going to be a crucial element of what the president wants. so we ll have to see what republicans on capitol hill actually decide on and then whether or not president trump will push them towards other
times rig rick right. really seems like republicans can t get over, you know, issues that they have within their own party. but the president actually indicated on that interview today that he s, he thinks that he has the votes and they can still pass it. he certainly is still optimistic and not giving up hope. and that s, again, like tax reform, one of the major promises that he made during his campaign, so it s something that he wants to deliver on. rick: morgan, we mentioned the president s interview with maria bartiromo. he had an interesting response to her question about his twitter habits. we want to play that and get your reaction. i doubt i d be here if it weren t for social media, to be honest with you. there is a fake media out there, i get treated unfairly, and i have a tremendous platform. so when somebody says something about me, i m able to go big, bing, bing, and i take care of it. the other way i d never get the word out. rick: this is probably the first time we
reck rick so are you surprised that the bill passed so is easily in the senate? well, the budget resolution is one crucial step toward going and beginning the debate on tax reform. but, certainly, there are a lot of hurdles that republicans face. they need to overcome fractions fractures within their own party. they need to figure out exactly what the tax plan looks like. we haven t seen a blueprint, and they ve given themselves the deadline for mid november on really releasing what a plan would look like. and if the president, if president s urging them to get this done by the end of the year, that doesn t give them much time. so i think it sing? it s something that there are a lot of remaining questions on. rick: and amendments are still likely as they work this all out. right. and, certainly, we re looking at key players and what their opinions are going to be in terms of what elements of tax reform they like, they don t like. and, obviously, in the senate
desk. look, we want the very best tax package that can actually pass. and if there s things the house or the senate has to do to get it across the finish line, that s up to them. that fifth bracket is not a priority for the white house. we re not pushing it. we don t necessarily even want it. but it s something in the greater scheme of things if we have to take it, we ll open discussions. reporter: and mulvaney said the only area not up for negotiation is insuring the middle class pays less in taxes. as for business, he said the white house would like to get the 20% or lower, down to 15%, but he said the house isn t willing to do that at this point. rick: garrett, how important is it for republicans to reach across the aisle on tax reform, and what are the what s the likelihood that it will amount to anything? reporter: well, at this point it s still a bit preliminary to see what these efforts result, because we don t know the full details of the tax plan. a lot of this will co
things, whether he will kind of push back on the plans. obviously, that s something that we ve seen with the obamacare effort. the president s already signaled that he s soured on the bipartisan proposal right now from senators, and, you know, that s a big question of whether the administration s going to be on board with what comes out from republicans on the hill. rick: the president has also butted heads recently with members of his own party. i m wondering how that may affect his effort to get everyone together now to pass this. yes, that s certainly a major question as well. we ve seen him butt heads with john mccain, bob corker and others, and that s a major question to see how that actually affects, you know, the relationship between the administration and people, republicans on the hill and also, you know, more specifically on the tax reform debate. and, you know, continuing efforts to repeal and replace obamacare. rick: and how likely is that? that that might happen. wel