Senate Republicans Lose Another 'Yes' Vote on Current Version of Tax Bill

Senator Steve Daines of Montana said on Monday that he would vote against the current iteration of the Senate’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—bringing the total number of Republican Senators who oppose the legislation to two.

Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has already announced he would vote against the bill as its currently written. Both Daines and Johnson have signaled that they would vote for the bill if it was amended to give pass-through businesses a better tax rate.

“Sen. Daines has concerns with how the tax bill looks at main street versus large corporations,” an aide for Daines told The Hill. “The Senator wants changes to the tax cut bill that ensure main street businesses are not put at a competitive disadvantage against large corporations.”

A key committee vote on Tuesday could make or break the bill’s future. As Politico noted, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee has also indicated he might oppose the legislation if his concerns about the deficit weren’t addressed. Corker’s objections ensnare Daines and Johnson’s demands as they would increase the deficit more than this version of the bill already does.

Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, suggested on Monday that he expected Johnson’s vote—though it was unclear how the bill would be amended to persuade him. “We’re gonna make them happy,” Hatch said. “But we’re not sure we can do exactly what they want to have done.” Seems convincing!