{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=2C2FBD1D-4C40-4FF4-AE79-A2EE10A353D4", "Hatch Makes Case for Including Individual Mandate Repeal in Tax Reform Plan", "2017-11-15", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "UT", "Orrin Hatch", "H000338", "www.hatch.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.\u2014 Today, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, opened the third day of consideration for his tax reform proposal\u2014the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act\u2014by outlining updates to the chairman\u2019s mark. Those updates include effectively repealing the individual mandate tax and increasing the child tax credit, among other provisions. Hatch explained how zeroing out the harsh tax burden of the individual mandate would not only provide tax relief for low- and middle-income Americans, but also save the US government $318 billion over ten years to use for further tax cuts.\r\n\r\n\r\n[Video via YouTube]\r\nThe individual mandate isn\u2019t just any tax, it\u2019s a terribly regressive tax that imposes harsh burdens on low- and middle-income taxpayers.\u00a0 According to the IRS, roughly 80 percent of Americans who paid the individual mandate tax in 2015 made less than $50,000 a year. Zeroing out the mandate will raise $318 billion over 10 years, money we use in our mark to actually lower taxes for the middle class.\u00a0 \u00a0\r\nAlso, let\u2019s keep in mind that the mandate has been a pretty ineffective tool.\u00a0 It hasn\u2019t prevented premiums from skyrocketing, nor has it kept insurers from leaving markets.\u00a0So, in the end, keeping the individual mandate tax in place means retaining the status quo, which isn\u2019t working all too well.\u00a0 Zeroing it out means we have a chance to provide greater tax relief to middle-class families, through both reduced penalties and lower overall rates.\u00a0\r\nThe full remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:\r\nToday we will continue our consideration of the chairman\u2019s mark for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\u00a0 Last night, as promised, we delivered to members a modification that we will incorporate into the mark this morning.\u00a0 After that, we will walk through the modification, and members will get an opportunity to discuss and ask questions about the modification.\u00a0 Once that process is complete, the mark, as modified, will be open for amendment.\u00a0\r\nBefore we take these next steps, I\u2019d like to make a few initial comments.\u00a0\r\nI want to thank my fellow committee members.\u00a0 We were able to include a number of their amendments in the modification, and the mark will be better for it.\u00a0 From the outset of this process, producing this legislation has been a group effort as I have been joined, and more than ably assisted, by the majority members of the committee.\u00a0 I want thank them and their staffs for the hours, days, and weeks of hard work that have gone into this process.\u00a0 By producing this modification, we\u2019ve taken another big step forward for tax reform.\u00a0\r\nSo, once again, thank you all for your hard work.\u00a0\r\nNow, let\u2019s talk about some of the highlights in the modification.\u00a0 I\u2019ll note that, while we made some important alterations to the mark with this modification, these aren\u2019t sea changes.\u00a0 The core of the mark remains the same, meaning that complaints that yesterday\u2019s walkthrough was a waste of time were misplaced.\u00a0\r\nOne significant modification of the initial mark, which will benefit American families, is a greater expansion of the child tax credit, bringing it to $2000 per child and raising the income caps on the credit to allow more middle-class families to claim it.\r\nIn addition, we will lower individual tax rates even further than in the original mark.\r\nThe 22.5 percent rate will drop to 22 percent.\r\nThe 25 percent bracket will drop to 24 percent.\r\nAnd, the 32.5 percent bracket will drop to 32 percent.\r\nWhile they may seem like small changes, these modest rate reductions \u2013 along with the additional expansion of the child tax credit \u2013 will let us channel even more tax relief to the middle class.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nThe modification also streamlines pass-through provisions, ensuring more small businesses \u2013 the engines of job creation for our economy \u2013 have greater access to the benefits.\u00a0 We also raise the cap on the exemption for the W-2 wage limitation up to $500,000 for married couples, $250,000 for all others.\u00a0 And, the modification expands the availability of the 17.4 percent deduction to service pass-through businesses for taxpayers with taxable income up to the new exemption level for the W-2 wage limitation.\u00a0\r\nOn top of that, the modification improves the new international tax system we set out in the original mark and it ensures that the new 20 percent corporate tax rate will be permanent, even under the restrictions of the Byrd Rule.\u00a0 We\u2019ll talk more specifically about these measures as we walk through the modification.\u00a0\r\nFinally, the modification reduces the penalty under the so-called individual mandate tax down to zero.\u00a0 Yesterday, this was the source of some consternation among our Democratic colleagues, who were apparently shocked to learn that Republicans oppose the individual mandate.\r\nI expect we\u2019ll hear a lot about this today. We\u2019ll hear claims that the inclusion of the individual mandate tax relief is some kind of process foul and that we\u2019ve somehow expanded the scope of the markup by including it in the modification.\u00a0\r\nBut, as was reiterated several times yesterday, the individual mandate is a tax.\u00a0\r\nThe relevant statute is the Internal Revenue Code.\r\nThe mandate is enforced by the Internal Revenue Service.\u00a0\r\nWe\u2019re all familiar with the old saying: If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it\u2019s probably a duck.\u00a0 \u00a0\r\nI think we can all agree that the individual mandate is a tax.\u00a0 After all, the Supreme Court would have nullified the mandate had they not reached that very conclusion.\u00a0 So, the mandate really only exists today because it is a tax.\r\nIn other words, we haven\u2019t expanded anything by including individual mandate relief in the modification.\u00a0 And, by no objective or reasonable estimation does the inclusion of mandate relief require the inclusion of every federal health program under the committee\u2019s jurisdiction, as some of my friends argued yesterday.\u00a0 Nor does it necessitate the presence of a Congressional Budget Office representative at the table, another demand we\u2019ve heard in the last 18 hours.\r\nThese demands are absurd.\u00a0 The inclusion of a tax in a tax markup is not a sufficient justification for dramatically altering the way this committee operates.\u00a0\r\nWe will stick to the tax code for this markup. That means the Joint Committee on Taxation will assist us with scorekeeping and will be at the table.\u00a0 And, it means that, if my colleagues want to raise health care matters from the Internal Revenue Code, their amendments will be germane. Any amendments that go beyond the tax code will not be germane.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nAnd, let me say this, if my colleagues believe we need to discuss our broader healthcare system and come up with solutions, I agree with them.\u00a0 We absolutely should get to work on fixing what ails our federal health programs, but we\u2019re not going to do so in the context of a tax markup.\u00a0\r\nBy the way, the individual mandate isn\u2019t just any tax, it\u2019s a terribly regressive tax that imposes harsh burdens on low- and middle-income taxpayers.\u00a0 According to the IRS, roughly 80 percent of Americans who paid the individual mandate tax in 2015 made less than $50,000 a year.\r\nZeroing out the mandate will raise $318 billion over 10 years, money we use in our mark to actually lower taxes for the middle class.\u00a0 Some colleagues have spent a great deal of time over the past couple days lamenting the possibility of tax hikes on the middle class.\u00a0 Yet, today, I expect that we\u2019ll hear these same colleagues argue that this tax \u2013 which, once again, overwhelmingly burdens low-to-middle income taxpayers \u2013 is an absolute necessity and, without it, our health care system will descend into oblivion.\u00a0\r\nJust to maintain some perspective, nothing in our bill would keep eligible individuals from receiving premium tax credits to pay for coverage.\u00a0 Nothing would require those who are eligible for Medicaid to opt-out of receiving free health care.\u00a0 And, of course, it wouldn\u2019t tell those who are offered insurance from their employers to refuse it.\u00a0\r\nAlso, let\u2019s keep in mind that the mandate has been a pretty ineffective tool.\u00a0 It hasn\u2019t prevented premiums from skyrocketing, nor has it kept insurers from leaving markets.\u00a0\r\nSo, in the end, keeping the individual mandate tax in place means retaining the status quo, which isn\u2019t working all too well.\u00a0 Zeroing it out means we have a chance to provide greater tax relief to middle-class families, through both reduced penalties and lower overall rates.\u00a0\r\nUltimately, I\u2019m more than willing to defend the decision to end the individual mandate taxes as well as the decision to include it in the modification.\u00a0 It\u2019s the right thing to do.\u00a0 Far more people will be better off as a result.\u00a0\r\nI think the original chairman\u2019s mark provided an exceptional path forward on tax reform, both in terms of middle-class tax relief and economic growth.\u00a0 But, today, I have to say that the modification is a significant improvement.\u00a0 It addresses problems noted by members on both sides and it will give Americans bigger paychecks, more opportunities, and a more prosperous economy.\u00a0\r\nI look forward to another lively discussion here today.\u00a0 But before I turn to Senator Wyden for his opening remarks, I want to make clear that I plan to keep things orderly today.\u00a0 I will make sure that members are recognized so we all get a chance to speak and ask questions, but I won\u2019t abide the disorder and hostility we witnessed yesterday afternoon.\r\nI don\u2019t begrudge anyone who expresses a passionate viewpoint, I just ask that members of the committee be respectful of one another.\u00a0\r\nTo view a full copy of the chairman\u2019s modified mark, click here.\r\nA score of the modified mark may be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=2C2FBD1D-4C40-4FF4-AE79-A2EE10A353D4"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8477370720356703, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}