FULL STEAM AHEAD

Top GOP Senator: Tax Bill Will Scrap Obamacare Individual Mandate

Leadership will also vote separately on the Alexander-Murray health care bill, Sen. John Thune said.

The Senate’s tax overhaul legislation will include a repeal of the individual mandate under Obamacare, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) told reporters on Tuesday. Thune, a member of Republican leadership, said the measure will be added to the bill as it is marked up in the Senate Finance Committee. The Congressional Budget Office said axing the mandate would result in 13 million more Americans without insurance over the next 10 years, but would save $338 billion—money that could be used to reduce the tax bill’s overall impact on the deficit. Senate Republicans have been unable to pass an Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill on its own. Despite fears that scrapping the mandate would imperil the tax legislation, Thune said he was confident that the bill could pass with at least 50 Republican votes. The House tax bill, which is expected to be put to the floor for a vote on Thursday, does not include a repeal of the individual mandate. Additionally, Thune said the Senate will consider the Alexander-Murray health care market stabilization bill alongside tax legislation. That bill, which was brokered between Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA), has enough bipartisan support to pass the Senate, but conservatives in the House have vowed to oppose it.

—Andrew Desiderio

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