Conservatives are increasing the pressure on House and Senate leaders to ensure that the Republican tax reform plan repeals language in Obamacare that requires people to buy health insurance. The provision isn’t in the House tax reform plan now churning through the Ways and Means Committee, but some lawmakers are hoping it will make it into the House bill or otherwise be part of a Senate tax reform plan expected later this week.
At a Senate press conference on tax reform Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said eliminating the mandate “makes it much easier” to pay for tax reform, because it would create $400 billion in tax savings. Cruz noted that instead of taking this course, the House bill offsets tax cuts with the elimination of popular tax deductions, such as the deduction for state and local taxes.
“There are some taxpayers who are losing exemptions, particularly in high-tax states, that could be paying higher taxes,” Cruz said. “I think that is a mistake. Tax reform needs to cut taxes for everybody.”
The Senate press conference featured Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. Conway would not reveal whether Trump is continuing to ask lawmakers to put the mandate repeal in the tax bill, but he has publicly called for such a move.
“The president has made very clear what his priorities are on healthcare for both healthcare reform and tax reform,” she said.
The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to approve the GOP tax bill by Thursday and that is when the Senate GOP is expected to make public its own tax proposal.
House conservatives told the Washington Examiner they want the Senate to include a provision to repeal the mandate.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has also called for the Republican tax plan to include the individual mandate repeal.
