Repealing the mandate would introduce a whole new area of controversy into the bill, and many Republicans think tax reform is hard enough without adding in health care. 

 Still, it is possible the idea could come back down the road, given that some Republicans are still pushing. 
 
Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said Wednesday night that she did not think mandate repeal would be included "just because we didn't have unanimous agreement on the committee."
 
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has been the main proponent of the idea and talked with Trump about it over the weekend. 

Repealing the mandate would save around $400 billion, which could be used to help pay for tax cuts, but the Congressional Budget Office also says 15 million more people would be uninsured and premiums would rise 20 percent.