President Donald Trump heads to the Capitol to try to give a final boost to a House $1.5 trillion tax cut, after some ominous signs for Republicans in the Senate.
House leaders are expressing optimism that they have assembled the needed 218 votes for their tax cut bill, lifting any burden for Trump to try to close the deal when he meets with the House GOP conference in advance of the vote.
But the legislation is facing some blowback from members from high-tax states who continue to balk at the elimination of most of the deduction for state and local taxes.
'We could lose all the seats in the northeast, New York Rep. Pete King (R-NY) vented, Fox News reported. 'This is an unforced error. We're doing this to ourselves.'
But the the more explosive action Wednesday occurred in the Senate Wednesday, when conservative Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin blasted the version released by the Senate Finance Committee.
'If they can pass it without me, let them,' Johnson told the Wall Street Journal. 'I'm not going to vote for this tax package.'
Johnson doesn't share the Democratic complaint - that the bill hits millions of families with a tax hike while permanently slashing corporate rates. He complains that while corporations get a major cut (from 35 to 20 per cent), other types of businesses that file taxes as individuals don't.
'That is still buffaloing people, pass-throughs that think they're getting a 25% rate,' said Johnson. 'It's still lost on a lot of people.'
Meanwhile, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who helped tank the GOP's Obamacare repeal, is raising doubts about the decision to include an end to Obamacre's individual mandate that people buy insurance.
Any delays to the Senate bill could put a vote after Alabama's December 12 special election, which could cost Republicans a critical vote.
House leaders are expressing optimism that they have assembled the needed 218 votes for their tax cut bill, lifting any burden for Trump to try to close the deal when he meets with the House GOP conference in advance of the vote.
But the legislation is facing some blowback from members from high-tax states who continue to balk at the elimination of most of the deduction for state and local taxes.
'We could lose all the seats in the northeast, New York Rep. Pete King (R-NY) vented, Fox News reported. 'This is an unforced error. We're doing this to ourselves.'
But the the more explosive action Wednesday occurred in the Senate Wednesday, when conservative Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin blasted the version released by the Senate Finance Committee.
'If they can pass it without me, let them,' Johnson told the Wall Street Journal. 'I'm not going to vote for this tax package.'
Johnson doesn't share the Democratic complaint - that the bill hits millions of families with a tax hike while permanently slashing corporate rates. He complains that while corporations get a major cut (from 35 to 20 per cent), other types of businesses that file taxes as individuals don't.
'That is still buffaloing people, pass-throughs that think they're getting a 25% rate,' said Johnson. 'It's still lost on a lot of people.'
Meanwhile, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who helped tank the GOP's Obamacare repeal, is raising doubts about the decision to include an end to Obamacre's individual mandate that people buy insurance.
Any delays to the Senate bill could put a vote after Alabama's December 12 special election, which could cost Republicans a critical vote.