The Republican sponsors of the tax-cut bills say the cuts rightly go to the families who pay most taxes.

I get the distinct impression that he would vote against the House's recent tax-cut bill.

On issues like President Bush's tax-cut bill, where every vote counts, the senator's health could very well affect national policy.

The House of Representatives passed two major tax-cut bills this week.

Q. Do you expect another tax-cut bill, including corporate tax breaks, before 2004?

Still, he said, "Some tax-cut bill will be enacted this year, but who knows what it will look like."

The plan is close to the tax-cut bill passed last year by the House.

"I'm the one person up here who has signed a tax-cut bill," he said.

If all goes according to plan, Congress will take up the spending-cut bill weeks before the tax-cut bill.

Congressional officials said today that the leadership would send the tax-cut bill to the White House by the middle of this month.