Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioOvernight Defense: Pentagon redirects pandemic funding to defense contractors | US planning for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May | Anti-Trump GOP group puts ads in military papers Democrats step up hardball tactics as Supreme Court fight heats up Press: Notorious RBG vs Notorious GOP MORE (R-Fla.) has threatened to vote against the tax bill, putting the legislation in danger of being delayed past Christmas.

Rubio has told Senate leaders that he will vote against the bill unless the child tax credit is made more generous to help lower-income workers who pay payroll taxes and not regular income taxes.

“Sen. Rubio has consistently communicated to the Senate tax negotiators that his vote on final passage would depend on whether the refundability of the Child Tax Credit was increased in a meaningful way,” said a spokesperson for Rubio.

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Rubio told reporters at the Capitol that the current tax credit is insufficient.

"Right now it's only $1,100. It needs to be higher than that," Rubio said.

"I understand that this is a process of give and take, especially when there's only a couple of us fighting for it," he told reporters. "Given all the other changes they've made in the tax code leading into it, I can't in good conscience support it unless we are able to increase the refundable portion of it."

If Rubio votes against the bill, Republicans can only lose one other lawmaker if they hope to pass the final bill that emerges from a House-Senate conference.

Rubio, speaking to reporters at the Capitol, did not give a number for how much the credit must be increased to win his vote, saying it "certainly has to be higher than it is now."

Corker has not ruled out voting for the final conference report, though he suggested his concerns have not changed.

“The issues I had before are still there,” he said.

A spokesman for Sen. Mike Lee Michael (Mike) Shumway LeeMcConnell shores up GOP support for coronavirus package McConnell tries to unify GOP Davis: The Hall of Shame for GOP senators who remain silent on Donald Trump MORE (R-Utah), who worked with Rubio on a previously proposed child tax credit expansion, told The Hill the senator is undecided on voting for the bill in its current form.

Republicans are also worried about the health of two of their 52 members — Sens. John McCain John Sidney McCainCindy McCain endorses Biden: He's only candidate 'who stands up for our values' Biden says Cindy McCain will endorse him Biden's six best bets in 2016 Trump states MORE (Ariz.) and Thad Cochran William (Thad) Thad CochranEspy wins Mississippi Senate Democratic primary Bottom Line Mike Espy announces Mississippi Senate bid MORE (Miss.).

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders dodged on whether Trump would support further expanding the child tax credit.

“We’re going to continue working with the senator, but we’ve made great strides,” she said.

“I think he’ll get there. He’s really been a great guy, very supportive,” Trump told reporters later in the day when asked about Rubio's vote. “I think that Sen. Rubio will be there, very shortly."



Rubio and Lee proposed an amendment that would have expanded the child tax credit further, but the Senate voted the amendment down earlier this month.

Democrats and Republicans both criticized the amendment because it would have raised the corporate tax rate further.

-Jessie Hellmann, Peter Sullivan and Naomi Jagoda contributed to this report which was updated at 3:09 p.m.