Paul Ryan tells MillerCoors execs he wants to lower U.S. corporate taxes by year's end

MILWAUKEE -- House Speaker Paul Ryan visited MillerCoors in Milwaukee on Monday, July 24th to advocate for his proposed tax changes, which he says will help the brewery and other U.S. companies.

Speaker Paul Ryan visits MillerCoors

But challenges stand in his way. The U.S. Senate remains bogged down in discussions over replacing the Affordable Care Act, and Congress faces distractions from the investigation into possible coordination between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign.

Over the weekend, the president tweeted that the investigation was a "phony witch hunt" and added, "It's very sad that Republicans, even some that were carried over the line on my back, do very little to protect their president."

Ryan said the tweets will not affect GOP togetherness on top legislative priorities, such as tax code changes and a health care overhaul.

"We're kind of used to the president tweeting different things. This is just sort of par for the course and sort of how the world is these days," Ryan said.

Speaker Paul Ryan visits MillerCoors

Ryan walked past rows of beer in the Miller warehouse. Then, with company officials including MillerCoors chief executive Gavin Hattersley, he said he wanted to pass legislation by the end of the year that would cut U.S. corporate income taxes in 2018.

Speaker Paul Ryan visits MillerCoors

"You've got 1,300 really good paying jobs right here in Milwaukee because of Miller," Ryan told reporters. "But Miller is an American business, and Miller is taxed at 35 percent, and the rest of the world is taxing their businesses at an average of 22.5 percent."

Ryan's House narrowly passed a health care bill in May but has been waiting for the GOP-controlled Senate to follow suit. Republicans haven't mustered enough votes to even begin debate in that chamber, and a key procedural motion is scheduled for Tuesday.

Ryan was unsure when asked if the Senate could pass the bill Tuesday.

"That's a good question. What happens is the Senate will take the bill up -- hopefully they take the bill up -- and then they're going to have a whole bunch of amendments. So it's impossible to determine the final product of the health care bill coming out of the Senate," Ryan said.

Ryan said he hopes the Senate will pass its health care bill this week. Some Republican senators have said they don't know what's in the bill that will be voted on.

Speaker Paul Ryan visits MillerCoors