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Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) participates in Center Forward’s Tax Summit on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Amid the increasingly partisan 2025 tax package discussions, held as part of the Republican budget reconciliation process, constructive dialogue between Republicans and Democrats has never been more essential. In an effort to foster bipartisan collaboration, Center Forward recently hosted its inaugural Tax Summit—a half-day policy conference featuring Republican leadership, Members of Congress, and former congressional staff committed to advancing common-sense tax solutions.

The Summit began with a keynote session led by Senate Majority Whip Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), who serves as Chair of the Senate Finance Committee Subcommittee on Taxation and Oversight. Senator Barrasso, a respected leader on tax policy on Capitol Hill, underscored the importance of bicameral negotiations to ensure a robust and comprehensive tax package can be passed and signed into law.

In a bipartisan panel, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) discussed the critical role of tax policy in promoting innovation through research and development. Rep. Panetta and Rep. Van Duyne, members of the Ways and Means Committee, are key advocates for tax policy that aims to grow the innovation economy. Representing two states at the forefront of American innovation, the legislators emphasized the shared interest across party lines in promoting pro-business tax incentives that help maintain the United States’ global competitiveness.

“Constant innovation is critical for American businesses to be globally competitive, which is why we need to return to immediate expensing of R&D to help our companies reinvest, create the next new cutting edge technologies, and drive growth for our nation,” said Rep. Beth Van Duyne. “We want our job creators to have certainty moving forward that the tax code values what they are doing to invest and invent here in America. These are exactly the kinds of bipartisan, pro-growth policies we should be prioritizing in the 2025 tax package.”

In addition to discussing tax policy, Rep. Panetta and Rep. Van Duyne emphasized the importance of engaging in bipartisan dialogue–even when not aligned on every issue–to make meaningful progress.  

“As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I’ve quickly come to appreciate the power of our nation’s tax code to incentivize and help Americans and American businesses,” said Rep. Jimmy Panetta.  “Rep. Van Duyne and I may disagree on politics, but on the committee we often work to craft smart tax policy that fosters growth, innovation, and supports American jobs. Always appreciate the opportunity to join Center Forward with Rep. Van Duyne not just to debate our differences, but more importantly to highlight our similarities and our will to work together to get things done for the American people.”

The Summit concluded with a panel featuring two former senior congressional staffers: Hana Greenberg and Brendan Dunn. Greenberg, now Vice President of Advocacy and Public Finance at Arnold Ventures, previously served on Capitol Hill for six years as an Economic Policy Advisor and later as Chief of Staff to former Representative Ron Kind (D-WI). Dunn, President of Phrónēsis, formerly held roles as General Counsel for the Senate Committee on Finance and as Policy Advisor and Counsel to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Drawing on their work crafting the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—including the bipartisan efforts that preceded the 2017 Republican trifecta—both panelists offered valuable insights on how stakeholders can effectively advocate for policy priorities in the current legislative landscape.