Top GOP senators say they have the votes to pass tax bill

The move puts the legislation on a path to clear the upper chamber as soon as Friday and puts Senate Republicans on the brink of a significant legislative and political victory. 

 

Senate GOP leadership has been under a mountain of pressure to deliver on the tax bill after failing to repeal and replace ObamaCare in July and again in September. 

 

Top Republican senators appeared confident on Friday that they had the votes, after GOP Sens. Steve DainesSteven (Steve) David DainesTrump administration could use military bases to export coal, gas McConnell: No one is going to beat Murkowski in Alaska Murkowski brushes off GOP backlash: 'I'm good with' Kavanaugh vote MORE (R-Mont.) and Ron JohnsonRonald (Ron) Harold JohnsonGOP senator seeking information on FBI dealings with Bruce Ohr, former DOJ lawyer Election Countdown: O'Rourke brings in massive M haul | Deal on judges lets senators return to the trail | Hurricane puts Florida candidates in the spotlight | Adelson spending big to save GOP in midterms Senate Homeland chair vents Mueller probe is preventing panel from receiving oversight answers MORE (R-Wis.) said they would support the plan. 

"We have the votes," he told reporters, after a closed-door caucus meeting. 

 

With a 52-seat majority McConnell can only lose two GOP senators and still let Vice President Pence break a tie. 

 

Leadership and staffers have been locked for days in a frenzy of around-the-clock negotiations as they tried to tamp down last minute concerns from deficit hawks that threatened to derail the bill. 

 

GOP Sens. Bob CorkerRobert (Bob) Phillips CorkerDemocrats torch Trump for floating 'rogue killers' to blame for missing journalist Trump to send Pompeo to meet Saudi king Trump defends 0B US arms sale to Saudi Arabia MORE (Tenn.) and Jeff FlakeJeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeKey takeaways from the Arizona Senate debate Live coverage: McSally clashes with Sinema in Arizona Senate debate Overnight Defense: Trump says 'rogue killers' could be behind missing journalist | Sends Pompeo to meet Saudi king | Saudis may claim Khashoggi killed by accident | Ex-VA chief talks White House 'chaos' | Most F-35s cleared for flight MORE (Ariz.) on Thursday initially held out from helping vote down a Democratic effort to send the tax plan back to the Senate Finance Committee.

 

 

But in a turnaround, Flake gave Republicans their 50th "yes" vote on Friday, saying he had been able to get rid of a "budget gimmick" and had gotten a commitment from leadership win permanent protections for young immigrants who had been allowed to work in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. 

 

"I am pleased to announce I will vote in support the tax reform bill," he said.

 

Corker and GOP Sen. Susan CollinsSusan Margaret Collins'Suspicious letter' mailed to Maine home of Susan Collins The Kavanaugh debate was destructive tribalism on steroids: Here’s how we can stop it from happening again Conservative group launches ad campaign thanking Collins after Kavanaugh vote MORE (R-Maine) have yet to say how they will vote on the tax legislation. 

 

But GOP leadership appears ready to pass the legislation without Corker, who has been pushing to get a guarantee that the bill won't increase the deficit. 

 

Corker wanted a "trigger" for automatic tax hikes in the bill if government revenue projections aren't met, but he was told by the parliamentarian that the provision doesn't comply with Senate rules.

Instead, leadership offered to add automatic tax increases in the bill, but that idea faced a swift backlash from other members of the caucus, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

 

"Everybody wants to keep fooling with this tax bill just quit fooling around," Sen. Pat RobertsCharles (Pat) Patrick RobertsGOP loads up lame-duck agenda as House control teeters Congress allows farm bill to lapse before reauthorization deadline Pat Robertson asks followers to help cast 'shield of protection' ahead of hurricane MORE (R-Kansas) told reporters on Thursday night. 

 

Republicans announced after their closed-door caucus meeting on Friday that they would not include the automatic tax increases in the bill. 

 

"I don't think there are going to be any automatic tax increase," said Sen. Orrin HatchOrrin Grant HatchHatch mocks Warren over DNA test with his own results showing '1/1032 T-Rex' Romney defends Trump’s policies as ‘effective,' disputes he led 'never Trump' movement GOP fractured over filling Supreme Court vacancies in 2020 MORE (R-Utah). 

 

An analysis released by the Joint Committee on Taxation on Thursday found that the bill would cost $1 trillion over a decade, though senators could get an updated score Friday. 

 

Johnson and Daines had also been pushing for a better deduction rate for small-and-mid size business known as "pass throughs." 

 

Johnson said on Friday that he had been able to secure a better deal on the deduction percent for "pass-through" businesses, raising it from 17.4 percent to 23 percent. 

 

"A seat at the table. Not just input. Not just consulting, but a seat at the table," he added, asked how he was able to get to "yes" on the legislation.