McConnell names Senate GOP tax conferees

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday evening announced that eight Senate Republicans would serve on a conference committee to reconcile the House and Senate tax bills.

The announcement follows the Senate approving a motion for the legislation to go to conference earlier in the day.

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“Now that the Senate has voted to join our House colleagues in a conference committee, I’m confident that this distinguished group of senators will work to get the job done for the American people,” McConnell said in a statement.

The conferees include three leaders of relevant committees: Senate Finance Committee Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

Besides cutting taxes, the bill also would allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, making Murkowski relevant.

McConnell also named five other GOP Finance Committee members to the conference: Sens. John Cornyn (Texas), John Thune (S.D.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Tim Scott (S.C.) and Pat Toomey (Pa.).

Cornyn and Thune are the second and third ranking Republicans in the Senate, respectively. In a Senate floor speech on Monday, McConnell said Cornyn and his team “helped navigate many challenges” and that Thune, Portman, Scott and Toomey took on a lot of work in the Finance Committee.

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) announced the House GOP members of the tax conference on Monday, and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) also named the committee’s representatives on the same day.

Democrats are not expected to sign the report produced by the conference committee.