WASHINGTON (WCMH) – In Congress, Republicans are optimistic about reaching an agreement on tax reform in both the House and the Senate.

The tax bill is in a joint conference committee right now, and central Ohio Congressman Steve Stivers is one of the GOP members claiming the bill is good for the middle class.

“I think it is a tax package that will do three things,” Stivers said. “It will make America more competitive, it will bring jobs back to the United States, it will put money in the pockets of hard-working tax payers.”

Stivers thinks that lowering the corporate tax rate and allowing businesses to expense everything they do will spur job creation and increase wages for workers, something he says most Americans haven’t seen in 10 years.

However, Democrats say the tax plan will hurt the middle class. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty says the bill will limit deductions for property taxes, mortgages and payments on student loan interest.

Stivers rejects claims from Democrats that middle class families will be worse off if the bill passes because of the elimination of local and state tax credits and the plan to tax tuition waivers for graduate students.

“We do eliminate some deductions, but I think we will actually fix a lot of the stuff with grad students at Ohio State on the tuition waivers,” Stivers said. “We will fix a lot of the individual issues.”