Thune predicts Senate tax bill can be passed before Jan. 1

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said in an interview Thursday morning that he thinks the upper chamber can pass its tax-reform legislation before the new year. 

“I think it can be passed before Jan. 1, Charlie,” Thune told anchor Charlie Rose on “CBS This Morning.”

“As to where the votes will come down, I think right now it’s going to depend largely on when the bill comes out and we take it to the Finance Committee next week, which we will, we’ll have a full markup there.”

{mosads}Thune, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate expressed optimism that the upper chamber can garner the support of some Democrats for the bill.

“I think there are going to be enough features about this bill that will be attractive to them, that we may attract some Democrats,” Thune said. 

Thune’s remarks come as the Senate is slated to reveal its tax rewrite bill, which is expected to diverge from the legislation unveiled last week in the House.

One projected difference between the two bills is in regards to the state and local tax deductions. While the Senate is likely to eliminate the deductions, the lower chamber has suggested keeping the deductions in place for property taxes up to $10,000.

But Thune said “the contours of the bill will largely follow the House’s action.”

“And if you can use an analogy, I mean we’re all on the same team. We want to get to the same end zone and sometimes we call slightly different plays in the House than the Senate,” he said.