GOP Claims They Have The Votes To Pass Tax Bill

Talking Points Memo reports:

When you’re ramming a massive tax bill through Congress at record speed, there are bound to be a few speed bumps. But after some drama on the Senate floor Thursday night, with a handful of Republican deficit hawks withholding their votes over concerns the bill would blow a $1 trillion hole in the federal deficit and others making a stink about corporate tax cuts not being deep enough, leadership declared Friday morning that they had secured the votes necessary to pass the bill.

GOP Whip Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), whose job it is to count votes on major legislation, announced Friday that Republicans had the 50 votes needed to pass their tax cuts and move on to conference with the House on a final bill. (Vice President Mike Pence would break the tie if the final vote were 50-50.) Yet Cornyn has a history of painting a rosier-than-accurate picture, as evidenced during this summer’s multiple GOP face plants on Obamacare repeal.