This week (November 7-11)

Congress out: The House and Senate are out of session until after the elections.

Election Day: November 8 is Election Day.

Last week (October 31 - November 4)

Clinton adviser on business tax reform: With the campaign in the home stretch and all eyes on the election, Hillary Clinton adviser Roger Altman November 1 affirmed comments from others associated with the campaign that the lack of detail about her plans for business tax reform was intentional. During a November 1 event hosted by Yahoo Finance, Altman, a former Treasury official, said business tax reform is a priority for Clinton, but "the campaign isn't the place to negotiate the rate," Tax Notes reported. Altman did not directly answer whether Clinton's plan would mimic President Obama's framework, which included a corporate tax rate reduction. He said Clinton at some point would detail her proposal "in terms of what the rate should be and how the base should be and so forth." Clinton has called for increasing infrastructure funding by $275 billion over five years, paid for through business tax reform, but has not provided details. Altman's comments were consistent with statements made by another Clinton adviser, Gene Sperling (former National Economic Council Director under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama), on October 14 that perhaps the nominee is "not showing her hand on exactly where she would be" on the issue but is communicating her principles. Sperling said a principle-based plan of protecting the tax base and a providing extra revenue to help support a jobs plan and to build infrastructure is a better way to approach the tax debate than a preexisting strategy focused on rates.

Quote of the Week

"The October jobs report continues the slow-growth trend we've come to expect from the Obama Administration. Our economy is still not growing quickly enough for our country to reach its full potential. It's as if the Administration is driving 35 miles per hour on the highway when the speed limit is 70. Meanwhile, workers, families, and job creators are stuck waiting for Washington to take action on pro-growth policies that will help our economy surge ahead and improve the lives of all Americans. House Republicans are committed to taking bold action that will create more jobs, grow paychecks, and deliver more opportunity across our nation." — House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX), statement on October jobs report, November 4

———————————————