President Donald Trump is unsure whether the budget bill the Senate will vote on Thursday, which is necessary to move forward with tax reform, has enough votes to pass.
“Republicans are going for the big Budget approval today, first step toward massive tax cuts,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning. “I think we have the votes, but who knows?”
Republicans are going for the big Budget approval today, first step toward massive tax cuts. I think we have the votes, but who knows?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2017
The Senate Republican whip was also not entirely confident about whether the Senate has the votes to pass the bill. When asked whether the GOP has enough votes to pass the budget measure, Republican Whip Sen. John Cornyn told reporters “I believe we do.”
“No one should be confused about this: that a vote for the budget is a vote for tax reform,” Cornyn said in a statement Tuesday. “Conversely, a vote against the budget is a vote against tax reform.”
The biggest threat to the budget bill, and to the Republican tax reform proposal, is Republican senators voting against it. The GOP has a narrow majority, with only 52 out of 100 seats in the chamber. If the bill receives only 50 votes, Vice President Mike Pence would be able to cast a tie-breaking vote.
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