Article snippet: The Senate voted to begin debate on its tax cut bill Wednesday, edging Republicans closer to their first major legislative victory under President Trump as they seek to finish the chamber’s work on the measure by the end of the week. Senators voted 52-48 to take up the House-passed legislation, which is being used as a vehicle for the Senate bill. GOP Sens. MORE (Ariz.) all said they would agree to start debate before it began, despite various worries about the legislation. In another sign of GOP momentum, Sen. MORE (Alaska) said she would vote for the tax package — and that she would help manage the floor debate given a section of the bill that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. Majority Leader MORE (R-Ky.) urged senators to vote to start debate, promising they’d have time to amend the bill on the Senate floor. “I encourage any member who thinks that we need to fix the problems of our outdated tax code to vote to proceed to the legislation,” he said in a floor speech. “I urge them to vote for the motion to proceed and offer their amendments. ... The bottom line is this: we must vote to begin debate.” Trump, a day after visiting the GOP conference, sold the bill on Wednesday during a stop in Missouri, where Democratic Sen. MORE is up for reelection. “This week’s vote can be the beginning of the next great chapter for the American worker,” he said, adding that the tax cuts would ensure a “merry Christmas” for the country. The GOP’s goa... Link to the full article to read more