So it is the Congressional recess which means nothing is supposed to be going on, right?  Well this is the time of Trump and despite Members of Congress best hopes, the political world continues to rock and roll, not always for the better.

The plan was for congressional leadership, tax chairmen and staff and the administration’s tax staff to work on a reform proposal over the recess and then roll it out when Congress returned in September.  An awe would roll over Washington as we all marveled at the collective tax wisdom and solidarity that resulted from these discussions.  Tax reform, unlike healthcare reform, would be attainable, only lacking a bow to be put on it for the President to sign during the holidays. Fa la la la la…

Then Charlottesville happened, and then a press conference, another press conference, another press conference and a political rally in Arizona.  Sprinkle in a little (well a lot) of venom spewed in the direction of Senate Majority Leader McConnell with a little left over for Speaker Ryan and we now have the makings for a train wreck of yet to be determined proportion in the month of September.  No big deal except that the country’s credit status is attached to the clock from Mission Impossible and is set to go off in Secretary Mnuchin’s figurative hand at the end of the month and, oh my lord, we run out of money on September 30th.  These two issues of some significance were on shaky ground before the recess but now, you have a President threatening to close down the government if they do not fund his 2000 mile perch for solar panels on the southwest border while also questioning the significance of defaulting on the debt.  And I will not even go into the demands of the Freedom Caucus of both the budget and debt ceiling negotiators.

So to loosely quote that great Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Mora, “tax reform, you want to talk about tax reform?”

September in DC would be fun to watch if there was not so much at stake and no one knows what will happen.  Members and staff we have spoken with at length are nervous and as one senator related to me, “we have had crisis before but never one like this of our own making with no clear and successful result in sight.”  Stay tuned and prepare for a crazy ride. For timely updates on these issues please follow me on Twitter @dsgasson.