President Trump will head to Capitol Hill before Senate tax vote
— -- President Donald Trump will head to Capitol Hill Tuesday to meet with Senate Republicans at their weekly policy luncheon, before an expected vote on tax changes this week.
“We look forward to welcoming President Trump to the Senate again next Tuesday,” the chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., announced in a statement today.
“This is a historic opportunity for our conference and the president to build on our momentum to give Americans the tax relief they’ve been waiting for,” he said.
Trump and Senate Republicans are also expected to discuss other fall legislative items. Congress is currently facing a Dec. 8 deadline to fund the government.
Tuesday will mark the president's second visit to the Hill in two weeks. Last Thursday, Trump traveled to the Capitol to rally House Republicans before their tax vote on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
On Tuesday, Trump is scheduled to meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
The GOP tax measure will be the big ticket item in the Senate next week. Trump is eager to sign a tax bill by Christmas, and McConnell plans on bringing the bill to the Senate floor when members return from the Thanksgiving holiday. Any measure that passes the Senate would need to be reconciled with the House version.
It's still unclear whether Republicans have the votes to pass the GOP tax package in the Senate. Assuming all Democrats oppose the tax measure, Senate Republicans can only afford to lose two votes.
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson came out against the House and Senate versions of the tax bill last Wednesday. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Jeff Flake of Arizona, John McCain of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bob Corker of Tennessee have yet to say whether they'll support the measure.
Murkowski said she supports repealing the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate — a key provision in the Senate Republican tax bill — but she withheld a full endorsement of the tax package. Sen. Collins said in an interview on ABC News' "This Week" that she wants to see revisions to the plan.
