NEW YORK — Ohio Sen. Rob Portman carries himself in such a way that unless you knew who he is, his prestige on the 14th floor of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan goes undetected among everyone else who is bustling around the president-elect’s transition headquarters.
Portman was there to talk about government rules with President-elect Trump’s team, hoping that the Republican-led Congress and White House could overhaul the federal regulatory system and U.S. tax codes.
Portman is fresh off an astounding November victory over Democratic challenger Ted Strickland, the once-moderate congressman from Ohio’s Appalachian hills and governor, who he crushed in the ballot box by more than 20 percentage points.
It was a precisely-run campaign where he defined his opponent early and decisively, then used technology and basic grassroots tactics to implement his plan. He raised a ton of money, used radio advertising everywhere including black communities and never avoided reaching out to a voter who normally would not consider voting for a Republican.
When Portman crossed the finish line in November, he was already thinking ahead of where he could be most effective in delivering to his voters and the country the promises he made about regulatory reform, tax reform, foreign policy and jobs.
Portman’s swearing-in ceremony last week was not only attended by golfing legend Jack Nicklaus but also his Ohio U.S. Senate colleague, Democrat Sherrod Brown.
It is also where U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito delivered a ceremonial oath of office to him to mark his second term.
Portman was appointed Tuesday to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He also serves on the Joint Economic Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
The former congressman, United States trade representative, and director of the Office of Management and Budget has one passion that spans everything he touches: government reform.
Washington Examiner: Do you see yourself as a conduit between the Trump administration and Senate Republicans?
Portman: I want to be helpful in getting things done, that is why I [came to Trump Tower], talking about policy issues, including tax reform and regulatory reform so that when Mr. Trump is sworn in we can hit the ground running.
I think this first year is very important when it comes to healthcare, taxes and regulations, all the things that really matter to people that will really give them a sense of hope.
I think our message on those issues is what helped Republicans do better than expected in the congressional elections. A lot of people who I talked to in the state told me they are working hard and playing by all of the rules set out by the government and they still cannot get ahead.
They keep pushing forward but their wages don’t change, meanwhile, their expenses keep getting higher and higher. So I think we have an opportunity to address all of those issues and I am interested in working with the Trump administration to cover all of that.
Washington Examiner: Does President-elect Trump and his team understand how strongly voter’s feel about how the tax code affects their pocketbooks?
Portman: Yes, his team understands that tax reform will also be a shot in the arm, not just for regular Americans, but also for big businesses. So I think there is a chance here to get behind reforms that create not only new jobs, but better jobs with higher wages and better benefits and make the tax code work better for everybody.
There is also such a huge cost associated with the compliance codes for small businessmen and women. I am a small business owner myself, my family owns a restaurant, small businesses make up the backbone of our economy.
Most small businesses are pass-through companies, limited liability companies, or partnerships, or a sole proprietor and at least the ones I know, they are really overburdened with forms and complications and they are all trying to do the right thing. And it is tough, the system really needs reform.
Small business owners always have this fear they are going to do something wrong and the IRS is going to come back and say ‘you owe us more taxes,’ which happens in cases where there is an audit. Look, people for the most part are doing their best, they are not trying to cheat the IRS. Even the accountants will tell them, the answer here is not clear about how much you should pay. Sometimes you can get five different answers on how you should pay something by professionals looking at the same form.
It is complicated, it is uncertain, it is a reason that people don’t feel comfortable in investing or hiring because they don’t have a concrete outline, and I think it is one of the reasons we have a jobs problem.
On the international side, I think it is so clear why other countries are much more competitive than we are. Every single one of our competitors have reformed their tax code since we last dealt with the corporate income tax back in 1986 under Ronald Reagan.
Every single one of them have lowered their rates, they have come up with a more competitive way to tax so it is no wonder that foreign companies can buy U.S. companies at a premium, because they are paying less in taxes than U.S. companies are.
These inversions where foreign companies buy U.S. companies to avoid our tax burdens are also a result of a broken tax code.
The Obama administration realized that, but they were never able to come up with a broad solution and what they did come up with were regulations that made it even tougher on businesses to compete.
Washington Examiner: So can you get all of the stakeholders together and if so how quickly can you get something meaningful passed?
Portman: On the House side there is a specific proposal that Speaker of the House Paul Ryan put out that is called the blueprint, which is part of his Better Way agenda. In the Senate that is still being worked on. So there is an opportunity, quite frankly, to have all three entities, the Ways and Means Committee, the Finance Committee and the new administration to see where we can all find common ground.
I think new administrations historically in their first year tend to be the most successful in terms of legislating. Whether it was George W. Bush tax cuts, which were sent through Congress in his first few months, then enacted by the summer, or President Obama, I didn’t agree with his proposal, but he moved pretty quickly on Dodd-Frank, Obamacare and the stimulus package.
So this I think is an opportunity over the next year to move on some of this pro-jobs agenda where we are trying to actually get the economy moving again.
Washington Examiner: Tactics aside, what was your message to Ohio voters on why they should reward you with a second term?
Portman: Jobs. Good-paying jobs. I reminded them on the successes I had fighting for workers hurt by unfair trade practices with the ENFORCE Act and what I will continue to do going forward. Most importantly, I listened to what their concerns were, you can’t talk over voters, you have to listen to them.
