President Trump spoke at a roundtable discussion on tax reform and tax cuts on Wednesday evening at Boeing in Missouri alongside Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. During the event, Trump reinforced his intention to eventually begin a "phase two" of his new tax plan.
"We're actually going for a phase two, which, additionally to the middle class, will help companies. It's going to be something, I think, very special."
Trump touted his tax reform plan as something "bigger than anything ever passed in the history of our country" and also went at Democrats for not having a single vote in favor of the tax reform plan. "Now they're regretting it," he said.
Conservative commentator and economic analyst Larry Kudlow has accepted the job of chairman of the White House National Economic Council, filling the vacancy left by Gary Cohn, according to a statement issued by the White House.
Why it matters: A source earlier told Axios' Jonathan Swan that President Trump thinks Kudlow can get him good TV coverage. As CNBC's Jim Cramer put it: "The president, I believe, is listening to Larry Kudlow on our air, and likes what he hears."
Editor's note: This post has been updated to reflect Kudlow's acceptance of the job.
White House officials told Republican Hill leaders that President Trump is open to a short term solution protecting DACA recipients in exchange for full funding for the border wall, Washington Post first reported and Axios' Jonathan Swan since confirmed.
Why it matters: Until now, President Trump has insisted on a "four-pillar" approach to long-term immigration reform which included eliminating the diversity visa, cutting back on family-based immigration and beefing up border security in exchange for passing DACA protections in to law. During the Senate DACA debates, a short-term solution was off the table. This would be a significantly slimmed down approach.
The House passed Congressman John Rutherford's (R-Fla.) bipartisan STOP School Violence Act Wednesday afternoon, which funds training and security measures for schools to better recognize warning signs and institutes reporting systems for potential threats.
Why it matters: Student walkouts are taking place across the country today in an effort to put pressure on Congress to look at stricter gun control measures to prevent school shootings after the Parkland. While this bill would add additional safety measures in schools in an effort to prevent tragedies like Parkland, it would not change existing gun control laws.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Wednesday he's not interested in becoming the next head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, rejecting reports that he's being considered as a replacement for the agency's embattled secretary David Shulkin, per the AP.After a Senate hearing, Perry called the speculation "fake news,” adding, “I am energy secretary from now until the foreseeable future. Happily."
The backdrop: Axios' Jonathan Swan reported over the weekend that President Trump has become increasingly fed up with Shulkin in recent days. Shulkin has faced multiple ethics allegations, including claims that he used government funds to pay for a trip to Europe for his wife and, according to the AP, that he asked a member of his round-the-clock security detail to run personal errands at a Home Depot and carry furniture items to his house.
Jared Kushner met with Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn today to talk about how to move forward on the White House's prison reform priorities, a Cornyn spokeswoman confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: Sen. John Cornyn has introduced a prison reform bill, which focuses on re-entry programs and excludes the more controversial sentencing reform aspects of Sen. Chuck Grassley's popular, bipartisan criminal justice reform bill. Cornyn has backed Grassley's bill in the past, but refused to vote for it in committee last month.
Matt Gorman, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told NBC News that the party is "absolutely not conceding" to Democrat Conor Lamb in the special election in Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district. Gorman added, "We are waiting for provisional ballots on Friday. And we are not ruling out a recount or other legal actions.”
Between the lines: Regardless of the ultimate victor, last night’s election results were a tough pill to swallow for the GOP. The district voted for Trump by 20 points, and Lamb managed to close that gap against Republican Rick Saccone.
House Speaker Paul Ryan is expected to tell House GOP members Wednesday morning that last night's special election in western Pennsylvania was much closer than it should have been — and that continued Democratic enthusiasm should serve as a wakeup call, according to a person familiar.
What to watch: Ryan is also expected to argue that Democrat Conor Lamb's strategy — which Ryan will frame as campaigning as a conservative in a conservative-leaning district — is why the race was razor thin. But the suggestion that Lamb was unique could be a hard message for Ryan to sell, as the GOP has consistently fallen short in key elections in Virginia, Alabama, and New Jersey over the past year.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and his wife, Candy, "picked out" a $31,000 dining set for a dining room at HUD, according to internal emails obtained by CNN after a FOIA request by liberal watchdog American Oversight. A HUD spokesman had previously stated that the Carsons had "no awareness" about the set's purchase and Carson himself issued a statement that he was "surprised" about the price.
NBC News declares Democrat Conor Lamb the apparent winner in a special U.S. House election in western Pennsylvania, the heart of Trump country, a blow to the White House and the Republican Party.
Why it matters: Regardless of the ultimate winner, it was a humiliating and sobering night for the GOP. This a district President Trump won by 20 points. The Democratic energy and Republican depression signal a brutal midterm season and the increasingly likely return of Speaker Pelosi.
Tuesday's special election in Pennsylvania's 18th district is too close to call with both candidates within one percentage point of each other. Democrat Conor Lamb is looking to beat out Republican Rick Saccone in a district President Trump carried by 20 points in 2016.
Where it stands:
Lamb (D): 49.8%
Saccone (R): 49.6%
99% of precincts are currently reporting
What we're waiting for: Some absentee ballots are not expected to be counted until the morning and leaves open the possibility for the victory to sway to either candidate. With the votes differing within a few hundred ballots, there will likely be a recount.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the majority of Texas' immigration enforcement law that imposed a crackdown on 'sanctuary cities' in the state. The statute gives law enforcement the ability to ask someone during a routine stop whether or not they are in the U.S. legally.
Why it matters: This is a major victory for Texas Republicans and the Trump administration which has been waging an aggressive fight against sanctuary cities. The Justice Department last week sued California over it's sanctuary law, alleging "obstruction of federal immigration enforcement."
