As Donald Trump called Overhauling the Affordable Care Act with a new healthcare systemOne Republican senator running for the top leadership post says the party should combine that pursuit with a major tax bill in the new year.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told NBC News after Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate in New York that if voters elect Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress, Republicans will “make health care more affordable, more affordable and more affordable.” they will be able to. Referring to the ACA or Obamacare is more personalized than a one size fits all option.
“Next year, when it’s time to extend the Trump tax cuts, we’ll have an opportunity to pass new policies that make health care more affordable and more personalized again,” Cotton said. “Because a lot of health care in this country goes through our tax code. Therefore, I think that next year it will be a very good opportunity.”
Republicans widely expect an extension Trump tax law As key parts of the 2017 measure expire at the end of next year, it calls for avoiding tax increases on Americans.
Cotton is running to become the No. 3 Republican senator next door leadership confusionThe GOP said it could add health care changes to the Trump tax cut extension through a filibuster-proof “reconciliation” process on spending and taxes; That would allow them to pass both major bills with only Republican votes if they secure a majority in Congress.
“Because Democrats are so resistant to President Trump, the next year’s opportunity to pass major legislation will likely focus on extending Trump’s tax cuts through 2017, in addition to other measures,” he said.
Trump called Obamacare “bad” and said he wanted to replace it, but did not offer an alternative plan and said during the Sept. 10 presidential debate that he had “concepts of a plan” to overhaul the health care system without giving specifics. Trump’s campaign did not provide a timeline for when he would announce the plan.
It’s Kamala Harris It’s airing TV ads attacking Trump’s push Reopening the ACA debate by saying he would seek to repeal the ACA, which would eliminate subsidies that help Americans get coverage and repeal rules that prevent insurers from charging people higher prices.
Even if they sweep the polls, it’s unclear whether Republicans will find enough support to revive their fight against the ACA now that the law has become popular. Many GOP lawmakers would prefer to close that chapter after exit polls showed they paid the price for trying to repeal it in the 2018 and 2020 elections. But Trump’s influence over the party is likely to increase if he wins this fall.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who sits on the Finance Committee, which oversees tax and health care policy, said Congress will scrutinize the litany of expensive proposals in Trump’s tax bill. These include the extension of tax reductions in 2017, elimination of taxes on tips and Social Security revenues, among others, would cost trillions of dollars.
“It’s great to have a debate, but at the end of the day, we’re going to have to get either 51 or 60 votes — 51 through reconciliation or 60 to change them,” Tillis said. “Then the fees and impacts have to be considered.”
Tillis was pointing out that Senate rules put budget limits on what can pass the 51-vote reconciliation process that Republicans would have to fight.
“So we’ll take all of that, but we can’t be all things to all people at once,” he said. “We have to pass something, probably through reconciliation, and we just have to see how those priorities work and how we pay for it.”
In 2017, Trump and Republicans in Congress tried to repeal the ACA, but failed. Months later, Cotton successfully convinced The party used a separate tax law to roll back the ACA’s individual mandate (which requires people to pay a penalty if they don’t get insurance), a policy that passed the tax code.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune of RSD, who is running to be the next GOP leader in the Senate, said the reconciliation circle has widened “significantly,” giving Republicans an opportunity to “hopefully address tax policy as well as some other issues.” things that can be achieved’.
He didn’t suggest that a health care overhaul would be one of them, but made it clear that a tax bill to avoid tax increases is imminent.
“Obviously we have to do something,” Tun said.
Garrett Haake reported from New York; Sahil Kapoor reported from Washington.