Tax Bill Thrown Into Uncertainty as First G.O.P. Senator Comes Out Against It
“This is not just another garden variety attack on the Affordable Care Act; this is repeal of that law.”
Repealing the health law’s individual mandate would allow Republicans to save more than $300 billion
in government spending on health coverage over 10 years, giving them more room to cut taxes.
As the Senate Finance Committee continued its formal drafting of the bill, Democrats attacked Republicans for inserting the repeal of the individual mandate
and for imposing a 2025 expiration date for individual tax cuts, even as they would make the corporate tax cut permanent.
“There’s other senators who themselves want to ensure that we’re doing something to strengthen our country relative to the deficits.”
He added, “I’m not a yes, I’m not a no.”
With the House expected to pass its tax legislation, the fate of the overhaul fell into the hands of Republican senators, who grappled with the dangerous political prospects of passing a bill
that critics said could undermine the health care system and favored companies over the middle class.