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Top Republicans are warning their fellow party members that failing to repeal Obamacare could imperil the goal of a massive tax cut -- and perhaps more of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. As a health-care replacement bill backed by House Speaker Paul Ryan struggles to gain support from House conservatives and Senate Republicans, some GOP lawmakers argue that a once-in-a-generation opportunity to overhaul the U.S. tax code with stout cuts in tax rates for businesses and individuals depends on the outcome. (Kapur, 3/21)

Top Republicans are emphasizing the strategic importance of cutting taxes in the bill to repeal and replace parts of the 2010 health care overhaul as the first step towards cementing a broader tax overhaul later this year. Amendments released late Monday would add items sought by critics of the health care bill (HR 1628) including tax cuts beginning in 2017 and not in 2018 and lowering the threshold for deductible health care expenses. The changes would also open the door for the Senate to funnel more resources to low-income people aged 50 to 64 that would help pay  for health insurance premiums. (Ota, 3/21)

The lawmaker guiding the Senate’s work to renew the Food and Drug Administration’s ability to collect fees from industry wants to move quickly, he said at a hearing Tuesday. Yet any push to rapidly advance FDA user fee legislation may be slowed by the Republican push to repeal the 2010 health care law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152). At a hearing of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Tuesday, panel Democrats were uniformly critical of the decision to not hold any hearings on the House GOP health care law replacement bill (HR 1628) that could soon be before the Senate. (Siddons, 3/21)