Eight Republican state officials that took part in meetings today with Vice President Pence and other administration officials in the EEOB came to the White House press stakeout around 4:15 p.m. to speak about their support for the tax overhaul legislation the House approved earlier in the day.
In their comments, the officials uniformly praised the tax overhaul package and encouraged Congress to work together to pass legislation by the end of the year.
None of them were from the states that will be most adversely affected by the removal of state income tax credits, but they said representatives from those states took part in the meetings and shared their enthusiasm for the bill.
The eight officials who spoke all said they were Republicans, but they also said some Democratic state officials were also part of the meetings.
“It’s been a generation really since middle-class families have had this kind of tax relief coming their way,” said Missouri state treasurer Eric Schmitt. “I think this kind of tax reform — this is the message we want to deliver today — can really help those middle-class families and small businesses, which are the engine for our economy.”
Gary Black, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, said Thursday’s vote is “not the time to spike the football yet when it comes to the end of the death tax and the oppression that that really places on American families. But maybe we’ve had a couple of good first downs today.”
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