House Republicans are prepared to pass their tax reform package on Thursday, thus getting their first big legislative victory since President Donald Trump took office. The president is to visit Capitol Hill before the vote in order to get support even though it may not be necessary since speaker Paul Ryan has suggested Republicans already have the 217 votes required to pas the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As a result, no significant events have taken place in the past few days with the majority of the three main House Republican factions supporting the bill. This represents a major change from the tumultuous debate on healthcare earlier in the year.
“It’s more than just a tax bill. It will show that Republicans can get things done,” Representative Dennis Ross said.
Despite his absence in the past 12 days, Trump remained engaged during the negotiations on the tax reform. He will also attend the discussion on Thursday with other Republicans as to how tax cuts and the simplification of the tax code can boost the economy, White House aides say. However, some Republicans are worried that during his visit to Capitol Hill, Trump could disrupt the carefully assembled coalition.
Despite confidence in the vote, Republican lawmakers still face challenges. A tax bill is yet to be passed by Senate GOP, which contains elements not in the House bill. If the necessary 51 votes are gathered by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, these differences will have to be worked out in a conference committee which may prove to be problematic.
One of the issues is the proposed elimination of the state and local tax deduction, which some Republicans from high-tax states refuse to vote in favor of. On Wednesday, the House already passed the rule which determines how the tax bill will come to the floor in a 235-191 vote, a good sign for the upcoming Thursday vote. Leaders believe they may lose some Republicans from Carolina and the Northeast, while Senator Ron Johnson noted he would change his “no” vote if he can fix the Republican tax reform bill. Still, House Republicans are confident they will get the votes needed to pass the tax overhaul.
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