The Republican Susan Collins, whose support was crucial in passing the Senate tax reform bill earlier this month, said on Sunday she has not yet decided if she will back the final measure negotiated by House and Senate leaders.



The Maine moderate has laid out conditions for her support of a final “conference committee” version of the tax proposal. They include assurances that Medicare payments will not be cut and that Republicans will support two healthcare bills aimed at reducing premium costs.

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Collins was one of a group of Republican senators whose no votes sank healthcare repeal attempts earlier this year.

She voted for the Senate’s tax reform bill after leaders including majority leader Mitch McConnell promised to support legislation to prop up health insurance markets. But this week The Hill reported that House speaker Paul Ryan told his staff he wasn’t part of that deal.

Collins told CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday she was “absolutely confident” of the leaders’ support and said both McConnell and Ryan have put in writing that they will not allow a 4% cut in Medicare payments to take effect.

“I have read in correspondence that memorializes the agreement that the 4% cut in Medicare that could go into effect will not go into effect,” she said.

She added that she has the support of Donald Trump, with whom she said she had discussed the issue three times.

“I have no reason to believe that commitment will not be kept,” she said.

Among other measures, the GOP legislation would slash the corporate tax rate to as low as 20%, which leaders say would encourage companies to invest more and boost economic growth. Democrats say the proposed cuts are a giveaway to businesses and the rich, financed with billions of dollars in taxpayer debt.



Republican leaders worked hard to get Collins’ support for the largest change to US tax laws since the 1980s. The Senate approved its bill 51-49 after an 11th-hour scramble. With Bob Corker of Tennessee voting against the first bill, McConnell has little margin for losing support.

If Collins and Corker vote against the final tax bill, leading to a 50-50 tie, vice-president Mike Pence would cast the winning vote. If more than two Republican senators vote no, it will fail.



The House-Senate conference will hold an open meeting on Wednesday afternoon as it starts to reconcile differences.

“I’m going to look at what comes out of the conference committee meeting to reconcile the differences between the Senate and House bill,” Collins said. “So I won’t make a final decision until I see what that package is.”