According to a report at Politico, House Speaker Paul Ryan is blocking a Senate-led deal to fix a glitch in the GOP’s tax law that is desperately sought by lawmakers from agricultural states, say four sources in both parties familiar with the matter.
Ag state Republicans are seeking to address the so-called “grain glitch,” which lowers tax bills for farmers that sell grain to cooperatives at the expense of other companies. But Democrats are demanding a price: an expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
Most Senate Republicans would be OK with that deal, but Ryan is not. His opposition could keep the grain fix out of the must-pass omnibus spending package due by Friday evening to prevent a government shutdown.
A person close to Ryan said the grain glitch is “still an issue we’re fighting for” and cautioned that just because Ryan rejected Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s latest offer doesn't mean they’re finished negotiating.
“It’s not a dead issue,” the person said. “We are negotiating the best agreement we can get on this.”
Ryan told the House Republican conference Tuesday morning that it was one of a series of outstanding items that had yet to be ironed out.
Read the full report at Politico.
