Top Senate Dem optimistic GOP tax plan will fail in upper chamber

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate’s tax-writing committee, said early Thursday that he is optimistic that the GOP tax-reform proposal will fail in the upper chamber. 

Wyden said on CNN’s “New Day” that Democrats went against the odds and successfully defeated the GOP push to repeal and replace ObamaCare earlier this year, and that they can do it again with the Republican tax-reform efforts.

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“What I am saying is, much like health care, we are seeing Republican senators express their concerns,” Wyden told host Chris Cuomo.

“Right now, I think we are seeing a lot of senators having some doubts, and we see a lot of them concerned about the fact that people are going to lose health insurance coverage, premiums are going to go up. They are concerned about deficits,” Wyden, the Senate Finance Committee’s ranking member, added.

He named several Republican colleagues who have expressed concern about the legislation, including Sens. Ron Johnson (Wis.), Bob Corker (Tenn.), Susan Collins (Maine) and John McCain (Ariz.).

He suggested that more lawmakers will begin “peeling off.” 

“We think when they go home for this Thanksgiving break they’re not going to be able to walk through the grocery store without getting a lot of flack from middle-class families, for this bill that is stacked for the multinational corporations and not for working families,” he continued.

With a narrow majority in the Senate and without Democratic support, Republicans can only afford to lose the support of three senators. 

“Chris, my whole point is we could beat it,” Wyden said.

Johnson on Wednesday became the first Republican senator to say he would oppose the bill unless it is amended to help “pass-through” businesses, which he argues are prioritized lower than corporations as the bill is currently written. 

His list of demands, however, appears attainable.