Ivanka Trump Is Trying To Get Involved In Law-Making With This Policy

Ivanka Trump is getting involved in a task that is key to her father — President Donald Trump — and Republicans in Congress. According to multiple reports, the first daughter has begun working to help shape new major tax laws that the GOP is looking to pass in the coming months. Specifically, Ivanka Trump is pushing for child tax credits within tax reform. Trump, an adviser to the president, said in a statement to Politico,

A significant expansion of the Child Tax Credit will help parents have more money at a time in their lives when they need it the most and give them the flexibility to make the best choices regarding their families’ care. We’ve been deeply committed to helping parents afford the costs of raising and caring for their children since the early days of the administration and will continue to advocate for relief for American families in the coming weeks.

In other words, Ivanka Trump is making an effort to help shape the part of tax policy that determines how much money families have to pay on their taxes for each child they claim.

The details of how she's executing that effort come via a report from Politico, which states that Trump has been methodically and gradually conducting "extensive" outreach to conservative leaders. Those leaders include senators such as Marco Rubio, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, and advocacy groups like the Heritage Foundation.

The reporting about Trump's role in Republican efforts to achieve tax reform — however important or unimportant that role proves to be — is notable for a number of reasons. First, there's the fact that it shows how long of a way the first daughter has come in terms of how involved she's become in politics.

Last November, shortly after her father won the presidential election, Trump said that she wouldn't be taking up a formal role in Washington D.C. She told 60 Minutes at the time,

I'm going to be a daughter. But I've — I've said throughout the campaign that I am very passionate about certain issues. And that I want to fight for them. Wage equality, childcare. These are things that are very important for me. So you know there're a lot of things that I feel deeply, strongly about. But not in a formal administrative capacity.

Months later, she became a federal employee at the White House. Now, reports on her involvement in helping ensuring cohesion around Republicans' push for tax reform say that she is going as far as hosting Congress members at her home in D.C.

Secondly, there's the fact that the reports on Trump's role indicate that she's involved with behind-the-scenes work that helps politicians pass laws. That usually wouldn't be something to note, except for the fact that past Republican failures for big law changes — like the Obamacare repeal — have drawn criticism for President Trump — who some Republicans said didn't do enough dirty work to help pass health care reform.

Lastly, there's the fact that tax reform is huge deal for Republicans and President Trump. Without a new border wall, an Obamacare repeal, or any new laws for spending on infrastructure, the president still does not have a major new law related to a campaign promise that he can put on his resume.

Ivanka Trump is now getting involved in what seems to be the GOP's last opportunity to do something big during the president's first year in office. A conservative lobbyist told Politico,

I don’t think anyone would say that she came up with this idea herself. There is increasing consensus among conservatives in Washington on this issue and significant support among strong voices like Sens. Rubio and Lee. She is viewed as a prominent spokesperson.

Whether Ivanka Trump is a good spokesperson remains to be seen.