Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is confident that the GOP has enough votes to pass the tax reform bill through Senate, which could happen in a matter of a few hours depending on how the voting on several amendments currently underway goes.
Ahead of the late Friday night vote, Republicans rallied in support of the bill, with even Sen. Flake saying that he now supports it.
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) could be the lone hold-out in a 51-49 vote to pass the tax reform bill through Senate and put into motion a tax code overhaul that will mostly benefit corporate America and the wealthy, while delivering a mixed bag for 80% of the population.
The theme running through the Republican Party on the tax code reform has been “failure is not an option,” and it stems from the fact that the GOP has had nary a major win on the legislative front despite holding a majority.
The steam from that theme seems to be strong enough to push the bill through Senate. It will still need to be reconciled with the House-approved version from November 16 before it can get to Trump, but this potential win could wipe out all the disappointment from the failed Obamacare repeal attempts that left the GOP with a bruised ego.
The Democrats have been crying foul for being given a 500-page bill with several significant changes just hours before voting started. However, if the Republicans are able to stand together on this – which would be a critical win ahead of next year’s mid-term elections – then it looks like the bill could get through Senate by a very slim margin.
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