Rubio now a ‘yes’ on the GOP tax bill

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will support the GOP’s tax bill now that the child tax credit has been expanded.

Rubio is telling colleagues he is a “yes” on the bill after having threatened to vote against it on Thursday, a source told The Hill.

A spokeswoman for Rubio confirmed he will support the measure.

Rubio and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) have long been champions of expanding the child tax credit in an effort to provide more tax relief to lower- and middle-income families. 

Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) told reporters earlier on Friday that the maximum refundable amount of the credit will be $1,400 in the final tax bill, up from $1,100 in the Senate bill. With the credit amount set at $2,000, 70 percent would be refundable.

Rubio praised changes to the tax credit in tweets earlier Friday.

For far too long, Washington has ignored and left behind the American working class. Increasing the refundability of the Child Tax Credit from 55% to 70% is a solid step toward broader reforms which are both Pro-Growth and Pro-Worker.

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 15, 2017

But there is still much more to do in the months and years to come. The progress made on the Child Tax Credit would not have been possible without the support of @SenMikeLee, @SenatorTimScott, and @IvankaTrump.

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 15, 2017

Noem and other Republicans on a House-Senate tax conference committee signed the conference’s report Friday morning. The text of the final bill is expected to be released at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, and the House and Senate are expected to vote on the measure next week.

Rubio’s “yes” vote boosts the prospects of getting the final bill to President Trump’s desk before Christmas. A maximum of two Senate Republicans can vote against the bill, assuming all Democrats and independents are opposed, and it can still pass with Vice President Pence voting to break a tie.

Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.) was the only Republican to vote against the bill the Senate passed earlier this month, but said Friday he would vote for the final bill. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) both voted “yes” on the Senate bill but also haven’t said how they will vote next week.

Lee also remains undecided.

“Sens. Rubio, Heller and Scott have done a tremendous job fighting for working families this week and they have secured a big win,” Lee said. “I look forward to reading the full text of the bill and, hopefully, supporting it.”

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) both missed votes this week due to health issues. Lawmakers say they expect McCain and Cochran to return to the Senate next week to vote on the tax bill.

Updated at 3:25 p.m.