Jason Smith’s ‘candy for everyone’ reconciliation plan

“One big beautiful bill,” not two. That’s what Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith wants to happen with the reconciliation package that’s about to move through Congress.

The consequences of this decision are enormous for Congress’ top tax legislator. If Senate Republicans and the House Freedom Caucus get their way and the legislation gets split into two, then tax cuts will probably have to wait — tax cuts that are Smith’s legislative baby.

So, what’s going to happen with reconciliation? Who’s going to decide what’s in and what’s out? Where do things like “no taxes on tips” and SALT fit in? And does Smith have the juice with President-elect Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson to make sure that the final package is “one big beautiful bill” that will, in Smith’s words, prevent the “largest tax increase in the history of America”?

To get the answers to those questions and more, Playbook’s Eugene Daniels spoke with Smith Thursday in an interview for the Playbook Deep Dive podcast. They spoke about Smith’s vision for reconciliation, why he thinks the Freedom Caucus’ strategy is “completely wrong” and how he thinks House Republicans can sweeten reconciliation with enough “candy” to get to 218 votes.