Ted Cruz attempts to defund D.C.'s health care individual mandate, but fails
WASHINGTON — The Senate rejected Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s attempt to defund the District of Columbia’s enforcement of an individual health insurance mandate Wednesday.
Cruz’s amendment to a Senate appropriations bill was his latest attack on individual mandates, which were a hallmark of the Affordable Care Act. The district’s local mandate requires D.C. residents to carry health insurance or face a fine.
The Senate voted 54-44 to table the measure, effectively killing it. Five Republicans, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, joined Democrats and independents in voting to table.
Cruz said on the Senate floor that senators who voted to table the amendment were “voting to raise taxes,” referring to the penalties. He also said many of those who would be fined are low-income residents, which he called “cruel and unfair.”
Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-politics/2018/08/01/ted-cruz-attempts-defund-dcs-health-care-individual-mandate-fails
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