EXCLUSIVE: GOP Sen Says ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill Must Provide Permanent Tax Relief Before He Can Vote ‘Yes’

Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines is reiterating that the House-passed version of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” will have to permanently extend “pro-growth” tax provisions in order to win his vote.

Daines, a Trump ally and member of the Senate Finance Committee, is leading the charge to enact a permanent extension of several business tax breaks that would expire in five years under the House-passed bill. He told the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation on Thursday that he is prepared to vote against the bill without permanence, but voiced optimism that Trump and Senate Republicans would agree to the change.

“My highest priority is permanence,” Daines told the DCNF, arguing that Senate Republicans should have made key business tax provisions permanent when Trump’s tax cuts were initially enacted in 2017.

“Those are two of the provisions that need more than anything else,” Daines added.

Daines attended a meeting at the White House on Wednesday afternoon alongside members of the Senate Finance Committee, where he made the case for making the business tax cuts permanent to the president and senior Trump administration officials. Senate Republicans are racing to modify the House-passed bill, so an amended-version can clear the upper chamber by Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s July 4 deadline.

Daines argues that a permanent extension of the business tax provisions would maximize the bill’s impact to further economic growth, spur innovation breakthroughs and allow the United States economy to maintain a competitive edge over China.

“There’s nothing more stimulative and nothing more in terms of building out innovation,” Daines said. “That’s why I don’t want to see a sunset .”

“That uncertainty for the business community in America freezes capital, but by having permanence, it will continue to unleash capital investments,” Daines added.