HOUSE OF REPS/GOP/TAXES: “House conservatives threatened to derail a key tax vote on Monday [12-4-17] in an attempt to win more influence over the GOP’s spending strategy, just four days before the deadline to fund the government.
In a dramatic political stunt, more than a dozen members of the House Freedom Caucus withheld their support for a crucial procedural vote on the GOP’s tax bill, threatening an embarrassing blow to GOP leadership.
The conservatives eventually relented, approving what had been thought to be a formality — a motion to appoint negotiators to hammer out a final tax bill with the Senate.
But the frenzy on the House floor underscored the divisions within the GOP over a spending strategy this month, and that the Republicans’ march toward overhauling the tax code — which has proceeded with relatively little drama so far — could get caught up in the process…
Later Monday night, the House Republican Study Committee also formalized its support for a longer-term stopgap bill.
At the last-minute huddle, the conservative caucus’ steering group agreed to push for a Dec. 30 continuing resolution, although the group want it attached to a full year’s worth of defense spending. The group is also seeking long-awaited votes on welfare reform and deficit reduction bills, according to a House GOP source.
The House would likely need to clear a spending bill by Wednesday to allow time for a Senate vote by Friday at midnight.”
-Bernie Becker, Sarah Ferris, and Colinn Wilhelm, “House conservatives almost topple tax vote,” Politico, Dec. 4, 2017 09:30pm