Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) joined radio host Hugh Hewitt on his program Wednesday morning and expressed determination to see the job through as regards putting the final details on the tax reform bill and getting it to the President’s desk.
Hugh Hewitt: Can you give me a guess, a percentage, that tax bill will hit the President’s desk? What level of certainty is Mitch McConnell at today?
Mitch McConnell: Well, almost certain. I mean, I can’t imagine having come this far we’re not going to finish the job.
“It’s not just a question of making people happy. It’s a question of getting the country growing again,” McConnell told Hewitt. “I hear that the bill’s not very popular. Well, look, plenty of times when you try to do a big bill, it’s not popular. But is it the right thing to do for the country? And we think this slow growth threatens the future of America. This is a tax bill, coupled with regulatory reform, that will get us growing again. We’ve had two quarters in a row of 3% growth. I don’t want to read too much into that, but consumer confidence is up. We finish this tax bill, I think America can take off again.”
So far, House Republicans are not predicting that repeal of Obamacare’s individual mandate included in the Senate version of the bill will threaten talks to reconcile versions between the two chambers.
Some House members who voted against Obamacare repeal in May and for tax reform last month weren’t concerned about voting for a final bill that would repeal the mandate that everyone buy insurance. Twenty Republican lawmakers voted against Obamacare repeal in May, which passed by a 217-213 vote, and 13 voted against tax reform.
“I think the individual mandate question was never the burning issue for me,” said retiring Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., who voted against repeal. “People will choose to not be covered, which is a shame, but on the other hand, forcing them has never been a great Republican position. That one has not been my burning issue. Overall, I believe that the tax reform package is improved by the Senate.”
McConnell told Hewitt that he is also confident any differences between the two bills would be easily negotiated with his House colleagues, with the caveat that the Senate has fewer potential yes votes.
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