Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement in reaction to Senate Republicans’ move to include repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate in their tax bill:

“Senate Republicans are attempting to sneak a repeal of the Affordable Care Act into their tax bill. It’s outrageous.

“Repealing the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that those who can afford health insurance must purchase coverage would cause 13 million Americans to lose their insurance and cause premiums in the individual market to spike an additional 10 percent.

“This move is deeply cynical. If 13 million fewer Americans have insurance, the government spends less on health care and Senate Republicans can use the savings for tax cuts. Is this a country that kicks people off of their health coverage to cut taxes for the top 1 percent?

“The current tax bill would wreak havoc on the lives of middle-class families all in the name of permanent tax cuts for wealthy corporations. These are the absolute wrong priorities for this country and this bill should be defeated.”

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