The results of Congress’s rush to pass the Trump tax cuts

The 2017 tax law was enacted by Republicans without Democratic votes and signed by then-President Donald Trump, with a main goal of cutting taxes for the wealthy and corporations. It was enacted in a rushed manner without substantive hearings, and, as a consequence, contains many provisions that were not thought through or that were motivated by ideological considerations (such as the limit on state and local tax deductions). Contrast the process for tax reform in 1986, when the Treasury Department produced an extensive report, which was then revised by the White House and followed by extensive hearings and debate in both the House and the Senate.