Health-Care Bill Delays May Doom Tax Reform This Year

House Speaker Paul Ryan has said he wants to pass a sweeping overhaul of the tax code in time for deer-hunting season in Wisconsin, which opens around Thanksgiving. Whether he makes that deadline likely depends on how much work Republicans in Congress get done in July and August. If the past few months are any measure, it doesn't look good.

Beginning July 11, when the House returned from its Fourth of July holiday, lawmakers had just 13 working days before their August recess was set to begin after July 28. When they get back in September, they'll face a compressed schedule, when floor time is short, attention will be turning to the 2018 midterms, and two big problems will be looming: Republicans need to pass a spending bill before Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown; about a week later, they have to lift the debt ceiling to keep the U.S. from defaulting.

BOTTOM LINE - With showdowns on the budget and debt ceiling looming in the fall, Republicans in Congress are scrambling to pass a health-care bill in July.