WASHINGTON — Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, cast doubt Wednesday on passing a bipartisan tax bill, saying it could make President Joe Biden “look good” and improve Democrats’ chances of holding the White House in the 2024 election.
Grassley said that re-electing Biden could hurt Republican hopes of extending Trump-era tax cuts.
“Passing a tax bill that makes the president look good — mailing out checks before the election — means he could be re-elected, and then we won’t extend the 2017 tax cuts,” Grassley told reporters, falsely stating the bill would include a provision to mail out checks.
A 2021 child tax credit included monthly checks to qualifying parents, but they are not included in the newly negotiated bill. The Republican-controlled House Ways and Means Committee said in a statement last week that under the legislation, the Biden administration would be “explicitly prohibited” from “manipulating the bill’s tax relief in an attempt to send politically timed refund checks.”
Grassley, who is on the Senate Finance Committee and previously served as chairman, added that the committee is not looking at the bill until it passes the House.
“There’s disagreement by some people on whether or not the bill upsets strategy for 2025 — extending the 2017 tax bill,” said Grassley, whose remarks came in response to questions from HuffPost and Semafor. “And all these things are questions that are unanswered. And until something is through the House, I don’t think we’re going to pay too much attention to it.”
Grassley’s office did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. The White House and Biden campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Grassley’s comments come ahead of an expected House vote to pass the bill. Congressional leaders announced a major tax deal earlier this month, which if passed would expand the child tax credit and provide certain tax breaks for businesses.
The $78 billion package would lift the child tax credit’s $1,600 refundable cap and adjust for inflation while enhancing refundable child tax credits. It would also restore some tax cut policies passed during the Trump administration that have since expired.
The bipartisan deal was forged between House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who lead the respective tax-writing panels.