Further votes pushed off until Friday

Senate Republicans on November 30, 2017, are looking to add revenue to or achieve additional savings under the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" to appease members after a Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) dynamic score of the bill showed a 10-year $1 trillion shortfall with economic growth effects factored in, and the parliamentarian ruled out a "trigger" to rescind some benefits if growth estimates are not realized.

Debate will continue, but there will be no further roll call votes before 11 a.m. on Friday, December 1. The "vote-a-rama" following Senate debate of a reconciliation bill has not begun, and it is unclear when a final vote on the tax bill will occur.

JCT's macroeconomic analysis of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as reported by the Senate Finance Committee (JCX-61-17) found that economic growth would reduce the revenue loss of the bill by $407 billion over 10 years. Taking growth into account, JCT said the bill would increase the deficit by $1 trillion over the budget window, compared to the conventional estimate of $1.414 trillion (JCX-59-17).

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), a key Republican vote in the Budget Committee and in the Senate overall, has said he cannot support a tax bill that adds to the federal deficit once macroeconomic effects are factored in. He had been working on a mechanism to rescind some of the bill's benefits if economic growth estimates are not realized, though such a "trigger" apparently could not be accommodated under the Senate's rules.

Corker and other Republican Senators concerned about the deficit effects of the bill huddled with Senate officials on the floor during an extended vote on Senator Angus King's (I-ME) motion to commit the bill back to the Finance Committee with instructions to report a deficit neutral bill back to the Senate, which was eventually defeated on a 48-52 vote. Senate Republicans subsequently met behind closed doors to discuss how to address members' deficit concerns.

The bill is being considered under the reconciliation process that will allow Senate passage with the votes of as few as 50 senators (with the Vice President breaking the tie). With 52 Senate seats, Republicans can lose the votes of only two members, assuming no Democratic Senators will support the bill.

Among the other Democratic motions put to a vote, Senator Sherrod Brown's (D-OH) motion to instruct the Finance Committee to report the bill back to the Senate with language addressing Patriot employers, who would receive a tax credit for maintaining headquarters in the United States and paying fair wages and benefits, was defeated on a 48-52 vote.

Senator Bob Casey's (D-PA) motion to instruct the Finance Committee to report the bill back to the Senate with language to ensure that workers would receive a pay raise if executives and shareholders benefit under the bill was defeated on a 48-51 vote.

Senator Debbie Stabenow's (D-MI) motion to return the corporate rate to its current level if the tax cuts don't provide the benefits promised to the middle class was defeated on a 45-55 vote.

A series of votes is anticipated for December 1, including a possible catch-all manager's amendment before completion of the bill.

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