But the House's top tax writer, while leaving the door open to a measure President Donald Trump supports, said Friday that such a move would complicate the tax package's prospects, particularly in the Senate.
"The president feels very strongly about including this at some step before the final process," House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady said of mandate repeal during a POLITICO Playbook interview. "No decisions have been made."
Despite a public push last week by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) to include repeal of the mandate in the tax package, tax bill writers didn't include that in the measure released Thursday.
But a faction of lawmakers including conservative stalwarts Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) have continued to push for folding repeal into the bill.
