Rachel F.'s AP US Govt. Blog

1. What problem did General Electric have with the version of the tax reform bill passed by the House of Reps? It could greatly increase their taxes by restricting deduction of losses of some overseas units. 2. How is the Senate version different than the House version of this tax reform bill regarding the provision GE was worried about? The Senate's version keeps the company's ability to count the overseas losses when calculating tax liability. 3. How do foreign owned airlines and Delta want the tax bill to be different? Foreign owned airlines want to prevent a provision in the Senate bill that mandates foreign airlines to pay taxes on income earned on US flights. Delta, on the other hand, wants to keep the tax in the bill to raise money. 5. What will happen to the bill after it is debated and voted on in the Senate? Leaders in both chambers of Congress make compromises and merge the two competing bills. 6.  What problem do real estate company lobbyists ha...

1. Which two senators does the article single out as being potential obstacles to the passing of the tax bill & where are they from? Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine 2. What indications has Murkowski made about how she may vote on this tax bill? She has remained noncommittal in her responses to questions about how she will vote. 3. What did Republicans add to the bill that would specifically encourage Murkowski to vote for the bill? They included a provision to allow oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic Wildlife Natural Refuge. 4. Why would Murkowski be more likely to support the bill if it adds this provision? It would bring significant revenue to her state and probably also make her popular for future reelections. 5. Why does Murkowski support "Obamacare" if she is a Republican? It has decreased the percentage of uninsured people in her state, which is a good thing. 6. How long has drilling in this part of Alaska been banned? 37...