Two more senators have signaled they will back the tax bill, and GOP leaders say they now have the votes they need to pass the legislation.
Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Steve Daines (R-MT) said they are satisfied with recent changes made to the tax rules for pass-through businesses. Daines’s office said he has received a commitment to raise the deduction for pass-throughs to 23 percent, up from 17.4 percent in earlier versions of the bill.
The larger deduction for pass-throughs, which include many small businesses but also large ones like some hedge funds, law firms and manufacturing concerns, would push the effective tax rate below 30 percent.
Asked if there were now 50 votes, enough to pass the bill with Vice President Pence acting as a tie-breaker, Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) said “I believe so.” Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch (R-UT) agreed.
