Trump Is Ready for Tax Cuts, but His Treasury Department Isnt

WASHINGTON — After failing to pass health care legislation, the Trump administration said it would take control of the next legislative initiative, a tax overhaul. “Obviously, we’re driving the train on this,” said Sean Spicer, the president’s spokesman.

But two and a half months after taking office, President Trump does not appear to have the personnel in place to get an overhaul of the tax code out of the station.

The last time a tax overhaul was successfully attempted was three decades ago. And it was not easy. President Ronald Reagan, in January 1984, instructed his Treasury Department to report back with a comprehensive legislative strategy. It took 10 months, but the department’s army of economists and accounting experts came back with a three-volume tome of nearly 1,000 pages that charted possible paths forward.

Is Mr. Trump’s Treasury Department ready for such a mammoth task?

Besides Steven T. Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, none of the 27 other political appointees that staff the department’s leadership have been confirmed, according to the Partnership for Public Service’s nomination tracker. Mr. Trump has announced only six other Treasury appointees and has yet to name anyone as assistant secretary of tax policy — a critical post for spearheading a rewrite of the tax code. Many important deputy under secretary roles also remain unfilled.

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