Exclusive: U.S. Senate's McConnell frets about healthcare, hopeful on tax overhaul
By Susan Cornwell and Yasmeen Abutaleb | WASHINGTON
Wed May 24, 2017 | 2:49pm EDT U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday he does not yet know how Republicans will amass the votes needed to pass legislation now being crafted to dismantle Obamacare, but expressed some optimism on another top priority, overhauling the tax code.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters, McConnell said healthcare and taxes still top the Republican legislative agenda, and he added that he will not reach out to the minority Democrats on either one because differences between the two parties are too stark.
McConnell also said he has not asked the White House for input as the Senate devises its own healthcare legislation after the Republican-led House of Representatives passed its version on May 4, but may do so in the future.
Excluding Democratic involvement will leave McConnell, a conservative 75-year-old Kentuckian with a reputation as a dealmaker, a narrow path to win passage of these ambitious goals, which are also at the head of Republican President Donald Trump's policy agenda.
Referring to behind-the-scenes work among Senate Republicans on hammering out the provisions of a healthcare bill, McConnell said, "I don't know how we get to 50 (votes) at the moment. But that's the goal."
Republicans hold a 52-48 Senate majority. In the event of a 50-50 tie, Republican Vice President Mike Pence would be called upon to cast a tie-breaking vote.
McConnell opened the interview by saying, "There's not a whole lot of news to be made on healthcare." He declined to discuss what provisions he might want to see in the bill or provide a timetable for producing even a draft to show to rank-and-file Republican senators and gauge their support.
On the other hand, he said, prospects for passage of major tax legislation were "pretty good." While this too will be difficult, McConnell said, it is "not in my view quite as challenging as healthcare."
Trump and his fellow Republicans in Congress want to cut tax rates across the board, but a House proposal to use the tax code to boost exports and discourage imports has split the business community and some lawmakers.
The House narrowly passed its legislation to overhaul the healthcare system and dismantle major parts of the Obamacare law, formally called the Affordable Care Act, that was Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement, overcoming unified opposition from Democrats.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-mcconnell-idUSKBN18K2MM?il=0
