Rubio to vote against GOP tax bill unless tax credit for working poor is expanded

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has informed Senate leaders he intends to vote against the Republicans' $1.5 trillion tax plan unless it includes a larger expansion of a child tax credit, according to a Senate GOP source.

Rubio and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, proposed a change to expand the tax credit as part of the tax bill that passed the Senate, but the plan was opposed by GOP leadership and voted down.

Lee is undecided on whether to support the bill, according to a Lee spokesperson.

If Rubio votes against the bill, Republicans can afford to only lose one more vote on their tax plan and pass it through the Senate. They control 52 seats in the Senate and need 50 to pass their bill, as Vice President Pence could break a tie. But Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., already opposes the plan because of its effect on the federal deficit.

As Republicans look to reconcile the House and Senate bills into a joint final version, Rubio and Lee have pushed a change to the child tax credit that would allow millions more low-income families to take advantage of the bill's expanded credit.

The change they're now pushing would expand the credit by $80 billion over 10 years, a smaller change than he posed to the Senate bill.

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This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Rubio to vote against GOP tax bill unless tax credit for working poor is expanded."