Maine's Sen. Susan Collins Remains A Holdout On GOP Tax Bill

WASHINGTON, DC — Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins remains one of the key holdout votes on the GOP tax plan, having declined to take a stance either way on the bill set for a vote this week.

"I have a lot of concerns that I'm trying to fix," Collins said, speaking to reporters Thursday at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast.

Collins was one of the three key GOP senators, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who blocked the party's efforts to repeal parts of Obamacare over the summer.

She says it would be "very problematic for me" and hard for her to vote for the bill if it still includes elimination of the federal deduction for state and local taxes. This provision of the bill has been deeply controversial, especially because it hits many states led by Democrats more than it hits Republican-leaning states. Because of this disproportionate impact, elimination of the deduction could put moderate Republicans elected in more liberal states at electoral risk.

Collins wants an exception to let homeowners deduct up to $10,000 in property taxes. She would make up the estimated $146 billion in lost revenue by keeping the personal income tax rate for the wealthiest earners at 39.6 percent and making a smaller cut in the corporate tax rate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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