Republicans aren’t ready to back down from efforts to strike the medical device tax, even as insiders say that there’s no way a repeal measure will make it into a tax credit extension bill taking shape now in the Senate.
GOP Senators continue to push for new amendments to the so-called "tax-extenders" package, a bill that would extend more than 50 tax credits that are about to expire. The medical device tax is leading the GOP charge to amend the bill, which could add some $81 billion to the deficit already.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been a tough sell, according to according to the Connect public policy blog. The blog cited Senate staff in saying that Sen. Reid has refused to include any Obamacare-related amendments in the extenders bill.
In a press conference this week, Reid told reporters that he’s "not going to cry any big tears over the device folks."
"Their profits were huge last year," he said. "The device tax folks are doing extremely well. They’re doing extremely well with Obamacare. Their profits have gone up significantly since Obamacare."
That doesn’t mean the GOP is ready to give up. Senate Republicans continue to push for a vote on repealing the medtech tax
"For some reason they don’t want to have that vote," Senate Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said. "A lot of companies are leaving America to go overseas."
Sen. Hatch and fellow medtech tax repeal advocate Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) plan to co-sponsor the amendment to strike the levy, according to Connect.