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U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin
U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin voted against the House of Representatives tax bill, joining 12 Republicans and all Democrats in opposing the legislation which passed on Thursday afternoon 227-205. While I like many aspects of this tax reform plan, too many of my constituents would not see tax relief under this plan as it is currently drafted," Mr. Zeldin said in a press release.
In the Senate, where at least one Republican, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, has confirmed publicly that he will not support the bill in its current form, the legislation's chance of passing is much less certain. Assuming that all Senate Democrats will vote against the bill, Republicans can only afford to lose two of their members' votes to eke out a win with Vice President Mike Pence's tie-breaking vote. The full Senate is expected to vote on the bill soon after Thanksgiving.
U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin is standing firm this week that he will vote against the Republicans’ proposed tax bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, which, in its most recent draft, still eliminates most state and local tax deductions—a refund critical in New York, one of the most highly taxed states in America.
The House version of the legislation unveiled on Thursday, November 9, does feature the small consolation prize of property tax deductions up to $10,000, while the U.S. Senate version eliminates the deductions completely.
“I am still a no,” Mr. Zeldin said in an interview on Friday regarding the House version of the bill.
He pointed out that his objection to eliminating the deductions has been constant since the plan’s first draft, and that the capped deduction in the newest version is not enough to sway his vote.
Despite his opposition, he expects the bill to pass in the House anyway.
“I don’t know what the whip count is, but if I had to guess I’d think the bill has enough support to pass the House currently,” he said. “There’s a lot of unity behind this bill,” he added, referring to his fellow Republicans as the current draft has garnered no Democrat support thus far, passing out of the Ways and Means Committee on a 24-16 party-line vote.
The full House is expected to vote on the bill later this week, with party leaders still courting Republican holdouts like Mr. Zeldin, who met with Vice President Mike Pence at the end of October to discuss his concerns.
“The discussions have been constant for months, straight through to this morning,” he said on Friday, adding that his conversation with Mr. Pence was productive.
Though it seems that the support of Mr. Zeldin’s Republican peers might be enough to push the bill through on the House side, he is much less confident about the Senate’s ability to pass its current version. “I have no idea,” he said. “I’ve decided in 2017 not to predict outcomes in that chamber.”
If the House and Senate pass different versions of the bill, members from both chambers will be appointed to a conference committee and charged with reaching a compromise that’s palatable to both sides. The reworked bill would then go back to both chambers for another vote.
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Kate Riga on Nov 13, 2017