US Congress passes Trump’s tax reform bill

Donald Trump’s tax reform bill has passed the House of Representative and faces one more step to become law – it needs to pass in the Senate. Americans are worried because the bill presented to Senate will slash the number of Obamacare subscribers, raising the cost of the plan for those who need it the most.

US President Donald Trump is a step closer to his first major legislative victory as the House of Representatives passed his flagship tax reform bill.

The bill has one more hurdle to clear: it still has to pass the Senate.

However, the bill the Senate will review will include steps to end the “individual mandate”, a requirement under the Affordable Care Act that every US citizen must buy health insurance or pay a tax fine to subsidise the programme.

With this requirement lifted, the government saves money while ACA subscribers will likely decrease, increasing the cost of the programme for those who need it the most.

Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett reports from Washington, DC.