House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said Wednesday that House Republicans had the votes to pass their tax plan bill, which is scheduled to be brought to the floor Thursday.
“Yes, ma’am,” the Texas Republican told Fox News’ “Outnumbered Overtime” host Harris Faulkner when asked if the House GOP had enough votes to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act after a whip count late Monday.
Brady added that House Republican leaders were optimistic about convincing holdouts to support the proposal.
“Do we have some members who aren’t there yet? Yes,” Brady said. “But also, we have those members who are saying, ‘We’re hopeful for that final vote when we work out the differences with the Senate because I already know good ways we can continue to improve tax relief at every step.'”
One of the disagreements that will need to be reconciled in the conference committee between the House and Senate is the elimination of local and state deductions in the Senate’s legislation.
“Our priority is to retain the mortgage deduction, the charitable deduction, and the property tax deduction up to $10,000,” Brady added. “That’s twice the national average. We know with the lower rates and this new family tax credit that even in high tax states, we’re providing tax relief regardless of where you live.”
Another difference that would have to be ironed out is the repeal of the Obamacare’s individual mandate penalties, which the House bill does not include but the Senate added to its version Tuesday night.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said repealing the mandate will hinge on whether the Senate can pull it off. “It really is whether or not the Senate has the votes for this or not,” the Wisconsin Republican said Wednesday on CNBC. If the upper chamber can repeal the individual mandate penalties, “we’ll meet them in conference and assess at that time,” Ryan added, noting that his chamber has voted several times to undo the mandate.
Brady said he thought the repeal would gain a lot of support in the conference. “We’re very supportive of getting rid of that tax. We’re encouraged by the Senate’s action. We’re hopeful they pass it. I think you’ll see in conference committee, you’ll see strong support.”
