WASHINGTON—Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she planned to vote for the Senate tax reform bill, MSNBC reported Wednesday.
“When you think about steps we need to take, quite honestly to boost economic growth—to really help with the strength of the economy and jobs, for Republicans, this is kind of an important issue,” Murkowski told reporters earlier in the day. “And the fact that we haven’t addressed it for a few years, most of us would say it’s high time.”
Murkowski is a key vote. She was one of a handful of members in her conference who voted against the Republican repeal and replacement legislation of Obamacare several months ago.
Other Republicans who were unsure about where they stood on the tax bill came out in support of moving the legislation forward at the least or are talking up the bill.
Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines described on Twitter why he supports moving the tax bill forward to the Senate floor.
“There has been some good progress for Main Street businesses in the tax cut bill. I was able to secure more than 60 billion in tax cuts for Main Street businesses,” Daines tweeted. “These Main Street businesses will be able to provide more jobs and higher wages in Montana and across the country. I’ve seen enough progress to vote yes to move the debate forward,” he added.
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, who was concerned the bill disadvantaged small businesses in relation to large corporations in terms of the tax cuts, told TheDC Tuesday that a proposal was in the works to iron out the issue. He voted Tuesday on a procedural motion in the Senate Budget Committee to move the bill forward and out of committee.
Johnson, however, did not confirm he would vote for the current tax bill on the Senate floor.