By Robert Laurie —— Bio and Archives December 14, 2017
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The delay comes as Congress prepares to vote on a sweeping tax reform bill, and amid an ongoing outcry over President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy to the holy city. Pence's vote could be crucial to Republican hopes of passing a major tax reform bill before the end of the year. With Republicans holding a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate -- and some key Republican senators still uncommitted -- Pence holds the tiebreaking vote in the event of an even split. Delaying the Jerusalem visit and keeping the vice president in Washington allows Pence to cast that vote if tax reform moves forward next week. Pence's office confirmed he will now leave Washington on Tuesday, stopping in Egypt for a brief visit before arriving in Israel for a multi-day visit.Here's where the speculation comes into play. Assuming CNN is right about the reason for his delay (and you should NEVER assume CNN is right about anything) it probably means that the GOP believes they're going to a vote either on Monday or early Tuesday. If they're confident enough that the Vice President is willing to alter an important overseas schedule, that suggests things are going well behind the scenes. Couple all of this with the recent news of progress in reconciliation, and you have reason to get your hopes up - at least a little. Of course, the fact that Pence is sticking around also gives you an idea that they think the margin on this vote will be razor-thin ...so we're not out of the woods yet.
Robert Laurie’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain.com
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