WASHINGTON — Last-minute conversations with President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan helped persuade U.S. Rep. Ken Buck to vote with most of his Republican colleagues in support of a broad tax bill, the Colorado lawmaker said Thursday after the 227-205 vote.

Buck initially was skeptical of the measure — given expectations that it would grow the national deficit — but the Windsor Republican said he was convinced to get behind it after he got assurances the tax cuts would be partially offset by future reductions to spending on social programs.

“After talking to the president and meeting with the speaker, I’m comfortable that we will take up welfare reform in early 2018,” Buck said. He defined welfare reform as changes such as “job training and limiting the number of weeks someone can get unemployment.”

Buck was the only question mark among Colorado’s U.S. House delegation leading up to the vote. As expected the rest were split along party lines, with Republicans in support and Democrats in opposition.