GOP Lawmaker Refuses to Read Their Own 'Tanning Bed Tax Break' Out Loud for Democrat in Congressional Hearing

A Democratic lawmaker challenged Republicans on Capitol Hill over a provision in their sweeping budget bill that repeals the federal excise tax on indoor tanning services.

When asked to read the line item during a public hearing Tuesday, Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) refused.

"So that the American public knows what this bill does... Would you please read page 901, line 20?" New Mexico Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez asked Smith.

"I think it'd be better if you read it," Smith responded.

"Oh, he doesn't want to read it. This is in their bill. They don't want to read a line from their own bill," she said, as the back-and-forth continued. "This is amazing."

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) eventually read the provision aloud: "Section 11106: Repeal of excise tax on indoor tanning services."

Leger Fernandez contrasted the provision incentivizing tanning bed-ownership with funding cuts to vital services in a critique of GOP priorities. "So if you have a tanning bed, you get a little bit of a tax break," she said. "And if you need a hospital bed in rural America, I'm sorry, you're out of luck."

In a more pointed jab, she alluded to President Donald Trump. "There are certain elected officials who appear to have a certain orange hue about them," she quipped, "maybe they want to make sure tanning beds get a little bit of special credit."

"Really, we are prioritizing tanning beds over hospital beds in rural America," Leger Fernandez emphasized.

The tanning bed tax, originally enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, was intended to both raise revenue and discourage use of ultraviolet tanning services due to health risks.

The exchange underscored ongoing Democratic criticism that the Republican-led bill favors narrow interests and tax breaks for the wealthy over essential services like rural health care.

Originally published on Latin Times