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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 20 noveMber 2017

Mixed signals sent on fate of tax bill’s health provision

care provision will be re- health care law. Congress
moved to keep Republi- fell short during previous
cans on board, Treasury attempts earlier this year
Secretary Steven Mnuchin to repeal the overall health
indicated that the current care law.
plan is to keep the provi- “I don’t think anybody
sion in the bill. The provision doubts where the White
is not in the House version House is on repealing and
of the legislation. replacing Obamacare.
“The president thinks we We absolutely want to do
should get rid of it. I think it,” Mulvaney said. “If we
we should get rid of it,” can repeal part of Obam-
Mnuchin said. “It’s an un- acare as part of a tax bill
fair tax on poor people. To and have a tax bill that is
think that you put a pen- still a good tax bill that can
alty on people who can’t pass, that’s great.
afford to buy medical poli- “If it becomes an impedi-
cies, it’s just fundamentally ment to getting the best
unfair.” tax bill we can, then we’re
He added: “But we’re go- OK with taking it out,” Mul-
ing to work with the Senate vaney added.
as we go through this.” Legislative director Marc
Budget director Mick Mul- Short said the White House
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is surrounded by reporters as she heads to go vote on Capitol Hill in vaney said the White “is very comfortable with
Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. A health care provision in the Senate version of a $1.5 trillion House is open to scrapping the House bill,” which does
measure to overhaul business and personal income taxes has emerged as a major sticking point the provision, which would not include what’s known
for Sen. Collins, who has said that issue should be dealt with separately from the push by Trump repeal a key component as the “individual man-
and fellow Republicans to overhaul the tax code. of the Affordable Care date.” But Short said the
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Act health care law en- White House views the in-
Continued from Front would allow Vice President expected to support the acted by President Barack dividual mandate as a tax
Mike Pence to cast a tie- bill, as was the case when Obama. Trump has pressed and “we like the fact that
Republicans cannot afford breaking 51st vote in his ca- the House passed its ver- for the provision to be add- the Senate has included it
to lose more than two sena- pacity as president of the sion last week. ed to the bill, partly to show in its bill.” At issue is a provi-
tors on the final vote, which Senate. Democrats are not Asked whether the health progress on undoing the sion to repeal the require-
ment that everyone in the
GOP’s Sasse likes tax bill, but won’t call it key to 2018 U.S. have health insurance.
Eliminating the so-called
individual mandate under
By THOMAS BEAUMONT way politicians in Washing- for Republicans when they the Senate’s most vocal “Obamacare” would add
Associated Press ton, D.C., regularly pretend campaign in 2018 to retain critics of President Donald an estimated $338 billion in
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — that every bill being debat- their control of Capitol Hill. Trump. revenue over 10 years that
U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse says Re- ed every day is the thing Though Sasse wouldn’t say “The party I’m in is going the Senate tax-writers used
publican leaders are over- that will usher in heaven,” if enactment of tax cuts be- through a split between for additional tax cuts.
stating how much pass- he said. fore next year’s elections two sides,” he said, de- Collins said Sunday that
ing tax-cut legislation can Republicans, who control would lift Republicans, he scribing veteran leadership the tax advantage that
protect their party in next the House and the Senate, did say former White House characterized by Senate some middle-income con-
year’s elections. have failed so far this year strategist Steve Bannon’s Majority Leader Mitch Mc- sumers would get under
The Nebraska Republican, to pass top agenda items, crusade to challenge virtu- Connell and Bannon, who the broader bill could end
who addressed an evan- chiefly the long-promised ally all Republican senators has vowed to topple Mc- up being canceled out by
gelical conservative group dismantling of President seeking re-election next Connell. repealing the mandate.
Saturday night, told report- Barack Obama’s 2010 year was not helping the Instead, Sasse took pains They would face higher
ers after his speech that he health care bill. party. to describe himself as an insurance premiums cou-
likes the tax bill moving in GOP leaders in Congress Bannon “is trying to run to outsider despite his party’s pled with the loss of federal
the Senate. and around the country the front the parade” of lock on Congress and said subsidies to help them af-
“And yet to pretend this tax have suggested a tax cut conservative anger at Con- the work of Congress is “not ford the cost of insurance,
bill is world-changing is the bill could boost enthusiasm gress, said Sasse, among that interesting.” q she said.q