Senate

Key tax holdout to vote yes on starting debate

by Jordain Carney - 11/29/17 3:15 PM ET

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said Wednesday that he will vote to start debate on the Senate tax plan after negotiating a deal with GOP leadership.

“There has been some good progress for Main Street businesses in the tax cut bill. I was able to secure more than 60 billion in tax cuts for Main Street businesses,” Daines wrote in a tweet.

“These Main Street businesses will be able to provide more jobs and higher wages in Montana and across the country. I’ve seen enough progress to vote yes to move the debate forward.”

The Senate is expected to vote on Wednesday afternoon to start debate on the House-passed tax bill, which is being used as a vehicle for any Senate action.

{mosads}Daines and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) have both threatened to oppose the tax bill as they try to get more parity between corporations and pass-through businesses.

Pass-through businesses, such as partnerships and sole proprietorships, have their incomes taxed through the individual system on their owner’s returns. Many small businesses are pass-throughs.

The two GOP senators want to increase the deduction available to pass-throughs, which the Senate bill now sets at 17.4 percent, by not allowing big companies to deduct state and local taxes.

Daines was spotted going in and out of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) office on Wednesday as he and other senators negotiated potential changes to the tax plan.

Daines’s decision to vote for proceeding to the tax bill on Wednesday is the latest boost GOP leadership has gotten as they try to pass the legislation this week.

In addition to Daines, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is also expected to back the tax plan, according to MSNBC. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) both said on Wednesday that they would also vote to start debate.

Tags Jeff Flake Lisa Murkowski Mitch McConnell Ron Johnson Steve Daines Susan Collins