House Republicans unveil sweeping tax plan but have yet to resolve key fight over SALT

House Republicans unveiled the legislative text of their sweeping tax proposal for the massive bill for President Donald Trump's agenda.

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Monday unveiled the legislative text of their sweeping tax proposal for the massive bill for President Donald Trump's agenda, but a key divide within the conference remains: how much to lift the cap on the deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., convened a video call Monday morning with members of both the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee and the SALT Caucus, a group of blue-state Republicans who have been fighting to raise the SALT cap much higher than the current level of $10,000. While several proposals were discussed, GOP lawmakers were unable to agree on a number.

During an all-member GOP conference call in the afternoon, Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., the chair of the Ways and Means Committee, told colleagues that the final SALT number was still a work in progress, according to two lawmakers on the call.

House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., released his panel's portion of the GOP's bill for President Donald Trump's agenda.Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images fileThe legislative text currently calls for the SALT deduction cap to be hiked to $30,000, and includes limits for those who make more than $400,000 a year. But SALT Caucus members —  including Reps. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Young Kim, R-Calif. — have said that number is a nonstarter. 

One House Republican close to the process told NBC News there would be enough GOP votes to sink the bill if that SALT figure remains in the final product. Republicans can afford just three defections for the final package once it reaches the House floor.