Vulnerable Dems press Schumer for pre-election tax vote
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Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) at a hearing in Washington, D.C., on March 7. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Several of the Senate's most vulnerable Democrats are pushing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for a vote before the November elections on a tax bill that includes a measure aimed at lifting half a million children out of poverty.
Why it matters: Schumer must decide whether to bring the $78 billion tax package to the floor and risk its failure due to lack of Republican support — or forgo a vote that would provide a boost to frontline Senate Democrats.
- The bipartisan bill, which has passed the House, would extend an expanded version of the Child Tax Credit that expired last year.
Driving the news: Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) told Axios they're urging Schumer to put the measure up for a floor vote.
- "I've asked Schumer to move on it," said Brown, who is facing re-election in increasingly-red Ohio.
- Rosen cited the child tax credit as the reason she's wants a chance to vote on the broader revenue package. Nevada and Ohio rank in the bottom half of U.S. states by childhood poverty rate, according to federal data.
- "I hope we can get a vote on it, because that's what we're here to do," said Tester, who is the Democrat with perhaps the most difficult re-election fight ahead of him in a state former President Trump has twice won by double digits.
The big picture: The ability to trumpet a vote in favor of the Child Tax Credit — and its impact on child poverty — could benefit Democrats in tight races as the party works to hang on to its narrow majority.
- But it is unclear if there is enough bipartisan support in the Senate for the package to pass: Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), the top Senate Finance Committee Republican, opposes a vote on the measure in its current form.
- Crapo has raised concerns about a number of the package's provisions, and Republicans may be satisfied with not passing the bill and gambling that they will have a Senate majority in 2025 to hand down bigger business tax breaks.
- Schumer's office declined to comment on the potential timing of a vote.
Catch up quick: Since the tax legislation has passed the House, the Senate is the only hurdle to getting the proposal to President Biden's desk before Election Day.
- The bill would also restore the full deductibility of research and development investments that expired at the end of 2022, which is an olive branch to the business community and a victory for Republicans.
What's next: All eyes are on Schumer to see if he will move to put the bill on the floor some time this summer.
