Gary Cohn 'Convinced' House Will Pass Healthcare Reform

There will be enough House votes to approve healthcare reform legislation, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn said Monday.

"We're convinced we've got the votes," Cohn, who serves as President Donald Trump's chief economic adviser, told the "CBS This Morning" program. 

"This is going be a great week. We're going to get healthcare down to the floor of the House."

Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs executive, also discussed Trump's tax plan, noting that one page was rolled out last week "for a specific reason."

"We want to get an enormous amount of input before we draft the final bill," Cohn said. "When we deliver the final bill, [we are] going to have a bill that is bought into by the House and the Senate."

Cohn said the Trump administration understands how difficult it is to get laws through Congress, as it is "designed to be difficult. We understand that. We're going to make the tax bill work."

Meanwhile, Cohn said he is "confused" that people don't understand that the bill is about more than making tax cuts for the wealthy, and that it is a "middle class tax bill."

"If you look at what we've done, we've doubled the personal exemption to $24,000," said Cohn. "The median income for many Americans is $56,000. You take the $24,000 away from the $56,000, you've got taxable income of $32,000."

Cohn said the administration has been working with the House and Senate, and had a "great meeting with leadership last week."

The tax plan also broadens the base, said Cohn, meaning that "we're going to tax a lot more revenue but at a lower rate. Instead of taxing at a high rate but taxing a lot to get to taxable income, we're going to tax a much bigger number at a much smaller rate. Yes, we believe it can work."

Cohn, a Democrat, said he comes from a team-oriented background at Goldman Sachs, and working in the White House is no different.

"The president likes lots of different opinions," he said. "It's the exact way I have worked my entire life. I am used to working an organization where people are allowed to and encourage them . . . disagreement is good. The president wants to hear both the pros and cons of every decision and I'm pleased with that."

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