The GOP tax bill just cleared another huge hurdle
- The Senate Budget Committee reported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to the full Senate on a party-line vote of 12 to 11.
- Senate Majority Mitch McConnell said that GOP leaders are still trying to get enough votes to pass their tax bill in the full Senate.
- McConnell said trying to get 50 votes for the bill is like "sitting there with a Rubik's cube."
The Senate Budget Committee reported the GOP's massive tax plan to the full Senate on Tuesday, clearing the last procedural hurdle before the bill can be debated by the whole chamber.
Republican leaders were slightly worried about its committee prospects after GOP Sens. Ron Johnson and Bob Corker, both members of the Budget Committee, said on Monday they would not vote for the bill without changes.
Republicans met on Tuesday to hash out their concerns, and both voted to report it out of committee. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed the committee on a party-line vote of 12 to 11.
Despite the Budget Committee moving the bill forward, the TCJA is not assured to pass on the broader Senate floor.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Tuesday that Senate GOP leadership is still trying to procure enough votes for its massive tax bill. Since the TCJA is going through the budget reconciliation process, the bill only needs a majority vote in the Senate to pass.
At a press conference following the Senate Republicans' weekly lunch, attended this week by President Donald Trump, McConnell said getting 50 Republicans on board to pass the tax bill has been a complicated process.
"It's a challenging exercise," McConnell said. "Think of sitting there with a Rubik's cube trying to get to 50. We do have a few members who have concerns and we're trying to address them. We know we can't move forward until we get 50 people satisfied."
As many as eight Republican members have expressed serious concerns about some part of the TCJA.