Article snippet: The tight 216-212 House vote Thursday to pass the GOP budget is raising a red flag for Republicans on tax reform. The GOP barely scraped up enough votes to pass their partisan budget, as 20 on their side defected. That included 11 GOP lawmakers from New York and New Jersey who wanted to send a message about the need for their leaders to compromise on plans to eliminate the state and local tax deduction, which could hit their districts hard. In reality, Republicans probably were always going to be able to pass the budget, a critical step toward tax reform since it unlocks rules that would protect the GOP legislation from a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. “There were many members who voted 'yes,' but they were holding their nose while they did it,” said Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.), who voted "no." “They voted yes to keep the process going forward. It doesn’t mean they’re voting for the status quo of the tax framework, though.” None of this means the House will be unable to pass their actual tax-reform package, which is to be released next week and will be marked up in committee on Nov. 6. Republicans are under intense pressure to get the tax bill approved given the failure to repeal ObamaCare. Nearly a year of unified GOP government has yet to include a major legislative victory. Given those political circumstances, it’s a good bet that many Republicans will back their party’s tax plan as a way of showing their constituents they are getting something done. At... Link to the full article to read more