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WASHINGTON A leading House Republican claimed Thursday that he's been told of a 100-page document showing the Obama administration is preparing contingency plans in case the Supreme Court invalidates federal subsidies that help millions of Americans afford health care coverage.

Rep. Joseph Pitts, R-Pa., provided no details about the paper and did not say if he has actually seen it. At a hearing of a House health subcommittee that he chairs, Pitts said he had received information about it from "a source" in the Health and Human Services Department.

Sylvia Burwell, the Health and Human Services Secretary, told Pitts at the hearing that she was unaware of such a document.

Congressional Republicans have been angered for weeks as administration officials have not directly answered whether they are planning for a possible loss in the court case. Burwell has said the administration believes it will win the case and that no administrative actions could solve the problems that would result should it lose.

Such responses have not helped the GOP-controlled Congress. Should the court nullify the subsidies, many lawmakers will feel pressure to propose a way to help the millions of voters who could suddenly find their health care unaffordable.

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Republican claims document shows administration preparations for health care law defeat

TheNew York Timesrecently reported Republican governors across the country were "bucking the party line" on taxes, citing eight GOP executives proposing tax hikes.Bloombergalso noted the trend of Republican governors and "much-regretted" tax increases earlier this week. However, theWall Street Journaljust heralded "The Tax-Cutting Boon Sweeping the States." So is 2015 the year of reluctant GOP tax hikes or triumphant GOP tax cuts?

The answer depends on the tax. Given budget demands, Republican governors are open to new tax revenueas long as it is never, ever from individual income taxes.

Let's start with the budget challenges. States are generally expected to balance their books, so revenue-losing tax changes must be paired with spending cuts. That's not an easy trade even in the most politically conservative states. Furthermore, as my colleagueNorton Francis reported last week, states are projecting revenue growth significantly below long-term averages, suggesting many governors will struggle simply to meet current needs. No governor wants his or her state to becomethe next Kansas.

So the GOP tax hike talk is real, to an extent. Republican governors in Georgia, South Carolina, and South Dakota proposedand severalothers have discussedsome form ofgas taxincrease this year. RepublicanGov. Rick Snyderis pressing Michigan voters to approve a May ballot initiative that (among other changes) increases gas and sales taxes. GOP governors in Kansas, Nevada, and Ohio want cigarette tax increases. NevadaGov. Brian Sandovalproposed a big business tax hike to pay for his education plan. AlabamaGov. Robert Bentleysays his state desperately needs new tax revenue to fill a budget gapalthough, he won't say what taxes he would raise.

But don't let all this GOP talk of tax increases confuse you. Republican governors are still determined to slash, if not eliminate,state income taxes. The only significant tax change actually signed into law this yearnot counting Michigan's ballot-dependent packagewas Arkansas's income tax cut championed by RepublicanGov. Asa Hutchinson. MississippiGov. Phil Bryantis also considering a considerable income tax cut.

And many GOP governors have proposed tax hikes only to offset income tax cuts:

Other Republican governors are searching for answers to budget problems, but income tax increases are off the table:

Some GOP governors may sign tax increases this year. And spending needs and balanced-budget requirements will rein in the most ambitious tax plansevery year there are far more proposals than actual tax changes. But the overarching state tax story of 2015 for Republican governors is nothing new: avoiding income tax increases at all costs.

The postGOP Governors Flirt with Tax Hikes but Still Wedded to Income Tax Cutsappeared first onTaxVox.

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Why Republican governors are flirting with tax hikes

Yet the top Republican leaders in Congress -- House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell -- haven't talked to each other for two weeks.

That revelation on Wednesday marks the clearest sign yet that Congress will likely let the agency run out of money at the end of the day on Friday.

Both chambers of Congress are controlled by Republicans for the first time in nearly a decade, a fact that the new GOP majority hoped would unify their party.

But instead of working together to clear one of the first major legislative hurdles of the new Congress, McConnell and Boehner have left communications to their staffs, Republican sources tell CNN, and are effectively pointing at each other to come up with an end game.

"I'm waiting for the Senate to act. The House has done its job to fund DHS and to stop the president's overreach on immigration and we are waiting for the Senate to do their jobs," Boehner told reporters Wednesday after meeting with House Republicans, adding until the Senate acts "we are in a wait and see mode."

McConnell's announcement Tuesday that he would do what Democrats have urged and bring up legislation without any provisions to block the President's executive actions on immigration made House Republicans seethe. And now Boehner is left facing yet another pivotal moment that could put his speakership on the line.

If Boehner allows a vote on a clean bill he would inflame those on the right in his party, as well as outside conservative groups who have zeroed in on this bill as the place to wage the fight on immigration. If he fails to approve funding for the agency he will be blamed for another government shutdown.

What happens if DHS shuts down?

For now House GOP members are pleased Boehner is trying to pressure on the Senate. But many conservatives are outwardly hostile toward McConnell, who they believe is undermining the party's pledge to oppose the president for going around Congress.

"The voters believed that in November Harry Reid was going to be dethroned and that the Senate was going to be controlled by Republicans. I'm sad that hasn't happened," Arizona Rep. Matt Salmon said, referring to the top Democrats in the Senate.

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McConnell-Boehner silence sign of DHS impasse

Republican Jeb Bush to Lay Out Case for Stronger US Role in World : BREAKING NEWS
For More Latest News Subscribe us: http://www.youtube.com/user/worldnetworktvbbccnn http://worldnetworktv.blogspot.com/ WASHINGTON: The United States needs to regain its leadership role...

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Republican Jeb Bush to Lay Out Case for Stronger US Role in World : BREAKING NEWS - Video

REPUBLICAN JEB BUSH TO LAY OUT CASE FOR STRONGER US ROLE IN WORLD
For More Latest News Subscribe us: WASHINGTON: The United States needs to regain its leadership role in the world, Republican Jeb Bush will say in a speech on Wednesday, while asserting that...

By: BBC News

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REPUBLICAN JEB BUSH TO LAY OUT CASE FOR STRONGER US ROLE IN WORLD - Video