(CNN) Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, will "likely support" the GOP's Senate tax bill, a Paul aide told CNN in an email Monday.

The news marks a sign of progress for the GOP leadership and President Donald Trump, who can afford to lose only two members of the party and still pass their bill in the Senate along party lines.

Already, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has said he won't accept the bill as written and wants changes. Paul, like a few other conservatives in the Senate, had been pushing leadership to include a repeal of the Obamacare coverage individual mandate in the tax bill.

With the individual mandate repealed in the tax bill, his aide told CNN, Paul is leaning toward supporting the bill.