Using tax legislation to overhaul Obamacare still being discussed, Ryan says

Source: washpost





By Ed O'Keefe, Damian Paletta and Mike DeBonis November 5 at 7:40 PM

House Republican tax writers on Sunday prepared to make further changes to the sweeping legislation they released last week, including tweaks that could allow upper-middle-class homeowners to deduct more mortgage interest and make more business owners eligible for a lower tax rate.

It is also still possible that a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s central insurance mandate could be added to the bill, with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) signaling in a television interview Sunday that party leaders are still mulling over that decision.

GOP members of the House Ways and Means Committee met behind closed doors Sunday to debate changes ahead of a scheduled “markup” of the tax bill Monday. Lawmakers will debate and vote on changes to the measure during the session, which is expected to last several days.

Two people familiar with the changes — one a senior Trump administration official, the other a lobbyist briefed on the status of the legislation — said the panel is considering increasing the GOP bill’s proposed $500,000 limit on the mortgage interest deduction. That limit could increase to $750,000 or so, the lobbyist said — still short of the current $1 million limit — but enough to ease concerns from lawmakers in states with high costs of living who fear a lower limit could hit middle-class households.


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