Senate GOP insisting on Obamacare repeal for reform

WASHINGTON » Senate Republicans said Tuesday they are intent on repealing the health care law requirement that Americans get health insurance, targeting the provision as a way to finance deep tax cuts in their far-reaching overhaul.

The surprise renewal of the failed effort to repeal the law’s mandate came a day after President Donald Trump renewed pressure on GOP lawmakers to include the repeal in their tax legislation. It has sharp political stakes for Trump, who lacks a major legislative achievement after nearly 10 months in office.

The move by Republicans in the Senate Finance Committee upended the debate over the tax measure just as it was inching closer to passage following months of finetuning and compromise. It turned the debate into an angry partisan referendum on health care and President Barack Obama’s signature law.