Mike Pence’s Trip to Middle East Suddenly Postponed

Vice President Mike Pence is reportedly delaying a scheduled trip to the Middle East in case he needs to be in Washington to cast the tie-breaking vote for the GOP’s tax reform legislation.

Pence will now leave for the Middle East some time on Tuesday rather than Saturday.

“Yesterday the White House informed Senate Leadership that due to the historic nature of the vote in the Senate on tax cuts for millions of Americans, the VP would stay to preside over the vote,” Pence spokeswoman Alyssa Farah told Politico.

Pence will first travel to Cairo, where he will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. He is also planning to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel.

The tax reform vote in the Senate, which is expected to come next week, is likely to fall along party lines. Holding a razor-thin 52-50 majority in the upper chamber, Republicans can afford just two defections, assuming every Democrat votes against the bill.

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As vice president of the United States and the official president of the Senate, Pence has the ability break a tie in the upper chamber of Congress.

A senior White House official told Reuters that Pence’s vote is not expected to be needed. Still, the Trump administration, which is pushing tax reform as major part of its legislative agenda, would rather be safe than sorry.

“We don’t expect his vote to be needed but we don’t want the scenario where he’s on the other side of the world and we have to come back,” the official said.

On Wednesday, Republican leaders in Congress reached a deal on a final version of the tax reform legislation. However, it is still uncertain how some senators will vote, which explains why the White House is being cautious.

According to Reuters, three Republican senators are reportedly on the fence regarding the bill — Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake.

Corker voted against the tax bill that passed in the Senate earlier this month, and has said his “deficit concerns have not been alleviated.”

Flake did not provide specifics when asked by reporters how he feels about the bill.

Collins, meanwhile, wants to see a final version of the legislation before she makes up her mind either way. However, a Collins spokesperson said Thursday that the senator is “confident” the changes she wanted in the bill were made, according to the Bangor Daily News.

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Moreover, Arizona Sen. John McCain voted in favor of the GOP’s previous tax reform bill. However, as The Western Journal reported, he is back in the hospital for treatment related to the “normal side effects” of his brain cancer treatment, his office confirmed Wednesday.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, though, said he “definitely” expects McCain will be back in time.

“He’s just saving his energy and resting up for the big vote next week,” the Texas Republican said, according to The Hill.

President Donald Trump has said that he wants the tax reform bill on his desk and ready to sign by Christmas.

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