Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) said Tuesday that it was “conceivable” that some changes to Obamacare could be included in whatever temporary government spending bill is ultimately passed by Congress.
“It’s conceivable some aspect of it would be, but the notion of delaying it or defunding it is not going to happen,” Durbin said on CNN.
Durbin suggested a repeal of the medical device tax — which the House has included in one version of its bill, but the Senate rejected — could be grounds for compromise. But he said that Congress would have to offset the $29 billion that the repeal would add to the federal deficit.
“We can work out something I believe on the medical device tax,” Durbin said. “That was one of the proposals from the Republicans as long as we replace the revenue so we don’t put a hole in the deficit and respond to this in a responsible fashion. That’s one thing the Republicans want to talk about. Let’s sit down and put that on the table.”
