Likelihood that tax bill will pass Senate is 'strengthened considerably'

So says The New York Times, after approval of the bill Tuesday by the Senate Budget Committee and moves to ease the objections of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The party-line committee vote came after Sens Bob Corker, Tenn., and Ron Johnson, Wis., were assured that their concerns were being addressed.

In a statement, Corker said he backed the bill after reaching a tentative deal on a "trigger" to "ensure greater fiscal responsibility should economic growth estimates not be realized." He said the proposal needs to be finalized but that he's "encouraged."

Other GOP senators said Corker’s idea is a non-starter for them.

"I am not going to vote to implement automatic tax increases on the American people," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said, according to Bloomberg. “If I do that, consider me drunk. I’m not voting for that.”

President Trump signaled openness to changes sought by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, which include paying federal subsidies to help lower-income Americans afford health coverage and allowing Americans to continue deducting up to $10,000 in property taxes from their taxable income.

“It’s certainly progress,” said Collins, who's had a central role in derailing GOP healthcare bills this year.

Collins said she wants to see the health legislation enacted before the differences between the House and Senate tax bills are resolved.

The changes sought by Collins, Johnson and others would require finding offsetting revenue elsewhere in the bill that could create problems for other Republicans.

The fate of the bill could come down to the vote of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., says a separate Times article.

He’s been "fairly tight-lipped" about his views on the legislation, saying he sees some problems with the existing bill but is waiting for a final plan before making a decision.

Steve Schmidt, a GOP strategist and longtime adviser to McCain, says if lawmakers mean what they've said over the years about fiscal restraint, they should oppose this bill.

“We’re about to find out the degree to which that viewpoint about fiscal discipline was political rhetoric or fundamental principle,” Schmidt says. “If it was political rhetoric, then this bill will pass. If those statements were principle based, then this bill will fail.”

The full Senate is to vote Wednesday on whether to proceed with consideration of the bill.