WASHINGTON _ House Republicans were on track Thursday to pass their sweeping tax-cut package, setting up a showdown with the Senate, where Republicans are taking a different approach.
President Donald Trump arrived on Capitol Hill to bolster Republicans determined to push the tax package through Congress _ and accomplish a top GOP priority _ despite widespread criticism the benefits would flow mostly to corporations and the wealthy, rather than middle-class Americans.
Other than solid opposition from Democrats, the only GOP defections expected in the House were from a core group of Northeastern state lawmakers and possibly some Californians, concerned about the House plan's limits on deductions for state and local income taxes important to their districts.
"We're going to have a really strong vote on the House floor," said GOP Whip Steve Scalise, R-La. "We're going to pass tax cuts for American families."
Approval will set Republicans in the House and Senate on a collision course, despite having the majority in both chambers, as they rush to finish the package by Christmas.
Senate Republicans are relying on special rules to allow approval with a simple majority. That means they can lose no more than two votes from their caucus.
Senate Republicans were poised Thursday to pass their bill from the Finance Committee, setting up a Senate vote after Thanksgiving.
Both bills use a similar framework, centered on corporate tax cut, from 35 percent to 20 percent, that will be permanent. But the proposed individual tax brackets are starkly different in the two plans, and cuts will expire in eight years under the Senate's bill.
The plans further diverge over how to pay for the package within rules that allow for no more than $1.5 trillion of additional deficit spending.
The Senate plan fully repeals a popular write-off _ state and local tax deductions _ bringing in more than $1 trillion over the decade. The House bill kept property tax deductions, capped at $10,000, to win over New York and New Jersey Republicans.
Democrats lambasted the package as essentially gutting essential tax breaks to give corporations and the wealthy tax cuts.
The House bill ends student loan interest deductions and medical expense deductions, and caps the mortgage interest deduction to loans of $500,000, repealing the write-off for second homes.
"We have very serious concerns about the tax bill _ I call it the tax scam," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. "It is a stunning thing that will tax millions of middle-class families. It will increase our deficit, harming our future. All this to give tax breaks to corporate America."
In a last-ditch gamble to secure support, Senate Republicans also attached a partial Obamacare repeal, eliminating the tax imposed by the Affordable Care Act's mandate that all Americans have insurance.
That change, which would go into effect in 2019, is expected to leave 13 million more Americans uninsured and drive up premium costs by 10 percent. But it brings in $318 billion over the decade by cutting federal healthcare subsidies to middle- and low-income Americans who chose not to buy insurance.
"Is this a country that kicks people off of their health coverage to cut taxes for the top 1 percent?" asked Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
California Republicans had largely stayed on the sidelines as their New York colleagues struck the deal on property tax deductions. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy had been able to keep the Californians in line, quelling concerns.
But ahead of Thursday's vote, the California Republicans were becoming more vocal with their opposition.
"I believe this bill could be made better," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who was expected to vote no. He said other California Republicans may join him. "There are many more who have concerns."
Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., stood up earlier this week at a closed meeting of House Republicans urging his colleagues to "leave no taxpayer behind."
McClintock's comments drew the attention of House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, who spoke with him afterward. But McClintock remained unconvinced.
"I'm still awaiting a satisfactory assurance that the end product will not do harm to American families," McClintock said.
Leadership has tried to assure lawmakers that the House and Senate bills are not the final product, but will be merged by a conference committee after passage. Both chambers would then vote again on the final bill.
"House Republicans should be proud of the work they've done," said Michael A. Needham, president of the conservative Heritage Action group.
But he added, "There is more work ahead to ensure strong tax reform becomes a reality for the American people."
