Paul Ryan says he's bullish on tax overhaul passing
MADISON, Wis. -- House Speaker Paul Ryan says he's "bullish" about the Republican-authored tax overhaul bill passing Congress and being signed into law with Democratic support in the Senate.
Ryan told a meeting of the Wisconsin chamber of commerce Monday that the Senate with its narrow Republican majority remains the biggest obstacle to passing tax reform. But Ryan repeated that he believes it will get done this year with bipartisan backing.
Ryan says the tax overhaul is "better wired for success" than the failed health care proposal because Republicans in the Senate and House "more or less agree on this on how it should go."
Ryan predicted the Congress will "nail the landing at the end of the year" on the tax overhaul package.
Later Monday, the Speaker said he does not want to "shovel more money at a failing program" to replace federal subsidies that President Trump is eliminating that help make health insurance more affordable.
Ryan told reporters that he supports the president's decision last week to end the subsidies. In Ryan's home state of Wisconsin the loss of the subsidies is projected to result in premiums increasing 36 percent for the average insurance plan sold through the federal exchange.
Ryan says the answer is to pass comprehensive health care reform, something Republicans in Congress have not been able to do despite promising they would during the 2016 campaign.
Ryan says the subsidies Mr. Trump is eliminating were unconstitutional and he's glad Mr. Trump is ending them.
