Press Release

November 14, 2017
Cardin Statement on Republican Plans to Add the Individual Mandate Repeal in Tax Reform
"Republicans continue to find any avenue they can to sabotage our American health care system and now our economy with it. It is dangerous and will put people's lives at risk."

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Finance Health Care Subcommittee, responded with the following statement after reports that Senate Republicans intend to include a repeal of the individual mandate in their tax reform bill.

“Republicans now have doubled down on showing the country that the real purpose of this tax reform exercise is to pay back political donors rather than provide a fairer and less complicated tax system for the American people. In their attempt to deliver tax cuts for the 1 percent rather than target relief for middle-income and working families, they not only add an incredible $1.5 trillion to our national debt, but now they want to add a partisan provision that would drop the floor out of the health insurance market by destroying the shared risk pool that has allowed tens of millions of Americans to obtain more affordable, quality health coverage since the Affordable Care Act began. If this provision is allowed to go through, Republicans will have succeeded in one bill to hike taxes for millions of middle-income families and hike insurance premiums for Americans in every state of our union.

“Republicans continue to find any avenue they can to sabotage our American health care system and now our economy with it. It is dangerous and will put people’s lives at risk.”

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