Marc Gerson, former majority tax counsel to the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, was quoted on the obstacles facing lawmakers in the House and Senate regarding the future of the bipartisan tax bill that quickly cleared Ways and Means on January 19. According to Gerson, the Ways and Means Committee's 40-3 vote is a good sign for how the legislation would fare on the House floor. The bigger issue House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) may be facing is that the bill doesn't include relief from the state and local tax deduction cap, which is problematic for Republicans in high-tax states like California and New York, Gerson said, and when lawmakers are able to get the bill to the Senate, it could also face hurdles there. What could ease the path forward is overwhelming support for the proposal during the House vote: "If you have a very strong bipartisan vote in the House, that obviously puts pressure on the Senate to act."