Apparently there is one thing U.S. lawmakers from both parties can get together on — a tax break for breweries. Not surprisingly, local craft brewers support the idea, too.

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The political fissures in Congress these days are difficult and deep — except when it comes to beer.

Earlier this year two lawmakers from Minnesota and Wisconsin introduced a bill that would cut federal excise taxes on breweries nationwide. Craft breweries would especially benefit. As of Tuesday, 252 House members from both sides of the aisle had signed up as co-sponsors of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act.

Washington U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, a Democrat who supports the bill along with four Republicans from the state’s House delegation, gathered four local craft brewers Tuesday in the taproom of Postdoc Brewing in Redmond to get their feedback on the proposed tax break.

A companion bill in the U.S. Senate has attracted 46 co-sponsors from both parties and one independent. Washington’s U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, both Democrats, are on board.

Both bills would reduce federal taxes on barrels of beer that are either shipped or sold on site, with smaller craft breweries getting more tax relief in percentage terms.

The legislation has relevance for Washington state, which had 334 craft breweries last year, according to the Colorado-based Brewers Association. Only California had more.

The House bill would cut the federal tax on a barrel of beer to $3.50 from $7 on the first 60,000 barrels for breweries that make fewer than 2 million barrels a year. The tax on production between 60,000 and 2 million barrels would drop to $16 a barrel from $18.

All of Washington’s brewers would fall into those categories. The state’s largest brewery, Redhook Ale, produced 98,336 barrels in 2016, and the company has shut its Woodinville brewery.

The biggest brewers, those producing more than 2 million barrels, would pay $16 per barrel on their first 6 million barrels, and $18 after that.

Annual savings from the proposed federal tax break would range from several hundred dollars for the smallest brewpubs to more than $100,000 for larger breweries that produce tens of thousands of barrels.

The Washington state Department of Revenue also collects $4.78 a barrel for breweries that make fewer than 60,000 barrels a year, and $8.08 a barrel for greater volumes. That tax wouldn’t be affected.

The brewers who met with DelBene produce between 500 and 2,000 barrels a year, so their annual tax savings could range from $1,000 to $7,000.

They said afterward that they would probably spend the additional money on either operations or paying down loans, in most cases for equipment.

John Carothers, president of Hi-Fi Brewing in Redmond, said the tax cut would save his company about $1,068 a year, based on its annual production of 500 barrels.

That modest amount could help him hire a commission-only salesperson who could drum up more customers for the 4-year-old brewery, which employs four people.

New craft brewers have poured into the marketplace in recent years, fragmenting the sector and increasing competition. The number of craft brewers in the state increased 145 percent between 2011 and 2016, according to the Brewers Association.

Increasingly, brewing is a neighborhood business. The median production for Washington state breweries last year was only 196 barrels.

The brewers who met with DelBene are expecting a shakeout.

“It’s not easy,” Rich Nesheim, owner of Triplehorn Brewing in Woodinville, told the congresswoman. “We’re not in this to get rich.”

Afterward, DelBene said she threw her support behind the bill because it would benefit small businesses.

“For producers of this size, it has a huge impact,” DelBene said of the proposed tax break. “These are the small producers who are really just getting started.”

If the bill passes, Washington breweries could keep about $2 million that they would otherwise pay to the federal government, estimated Bart Watson, chief economist with the Brewers Association.

Washington may get an additional benefit from the tax break because it grows more hops — a central ingredient in beer — than any other state.

The Beer Association estimates the tax break would generate 9,000 jobs nationwide within 18 months.

“We think this is primarily a jobs bill that will let our members reinvest in their business,” Watson said.

The House bill is in the House Ways and Means Committee. DelBene, who is a member of the committee, said the tax break could get attached to a larger tax-reform measure later in the session.

This story has been updated to correct information on the tax break proposed for brewers producing more than 2 million barrels annually.