Senate Budget Committee Republicans voted Tuesday afternoon to advance the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as two Republicans who had said they might vote against the bill were won over on sending it to the Senate floor.
After meeting during lunch with President Trump and fellow Republicans, Sens. Ron Johnson and Bob Corker dropped their opposition and voted to advance the bill, allowing it to pass 12-11 with all Democrats voting against.
Leaders hope to begin voting on the sweeping tax overhaul Wednesday and to pass it by Friday. The committee’s vote means that it can advance through the budget reconciliation process that prevents Democrats from filibustering it.
“Today’s markup moves us one step closer to a simpler, fairer, and more transparent tax system,” said committee chairman Mike Enzi of Wyoming.
In advancing the bill, the committee also added to it a measure that would open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, a provision backed by Alaska senator Lisa Murkowski, who is otherwise thought to one of the Republicans mostly likely to oppose the tax bill.
Corker had said Tuesday morning that he would vote against committee passage the bill was not amended to include a backstop that would undo some of its cuts if the federal debt increased too quickly. He told reporters going into the committee room that he had reached a deal to get such a mechanism added to the legislation.
Johnson, meanwhile, had told reporters in his home state of Wisconsin that he might vote no unless the bill is changed to include bigger tax breaks for small businesses. He voted in favor of advancing it, though.
