UPDATE: Sen. John Thune (R-SD) confirmed to reporters Tuesday that an individual mandate repeal is part of the plan.
@SenJohnThune CONFIRMS:
— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) November 14, 2017
-Individual mandate repeal will be added to tax bill in SFC.
-They have 50 votes on the floor.
-Passing Alexander-Murray alongside (not within the tax bill) is part of the deal.
He's confident it will pass.
More from THUNE: proceeds from mandate repeal directed to middle-class rate cuts. pic.twitter.com/qvJ1oXsDIz
— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) November 14, 2017
***Original Post***
President Trump will be happy to see Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) back on Capitol Hill this week. Paul, who is returning to work after suffering serious injuries from an attack at his home in Kentucky, plans to amend the Senate tax bill to better reflect the president's agenda.
Today I am announcing my intention to amend the Senate tax bill to repeal the individual mandate and provide bigger tax cuts for middle income taxpayers.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 14, 2017
The mandate repeal is a promise we all made and we should keep. It also allows an additional $300 billion+ in tax cuts.
My amendment will fix a problem in the Senate bill where many taxpayers would see a tax increase because of the loss of state and local deductions.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 14, 2017
I will introduce a similar deduction as the House plan, making the tax reform plan more fair for everyone.
President Trump was likely not thrilled to discover last week that Senate Republicans planned to introduce their tax bill without repealing the individual mandate, and planned to delay the corporate tax rate cut until 2019. Trump wanted the lower rate, from 35 percent to 20 percent, implemented this coming year.
Paul's announcement comes just a day after Trump urged Congress to consider the partial Obamacare repeal in their tax plan. Some Republicans, however, fear that revisiting the conversation on health care will just end in controversy like their past efforts.
Paul is working while recovering from six broken ribs and a pleural effusion, which occurs after inflammation causes fluid to build up in the chest.
