Sen. Mike Lee of Utah announced Monday he plans to vote for the GOP’s $1.5 trillion tax-cut plan, handing Republican leaders another ’yes’ vote as they look to pass the package through the House and Senate this week.
“Just finished reading the final Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It will cut taxes for working Utah families. I will proudly vote for it,” Mr. Lee said on Twitter.
Mr. Lee and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida had been pushing to make the child tax credit available to more low-income families in the plan. Republican leaders made those changes last week, after which Mr. Rubio said he’d support it.
Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who voted against the Senate plan that passed on a 51-49 vote, also said last week he plans to vote for the final package crafted by House and Senate negotiators.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who is recovering from cancer treatment, is expected to be in Arizona this week. Mr. McCain’s absence gives Republicans, with a 52-48 Senate majority, less room for error, even with the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Mike Pence in their back pocket.
Several other senators, such as Susan Collins of Maine and Jeff Flake of Arizona, have not officially announced how they’ll vote.
But GOP leaders say they’re confident they’ll get it done this week.
“We are closer than ever to seizing this once-in-a-generation opportunity to update our tax code, make America stronger, and help middle-class families keep more of their hard-earned money,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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