Republicans Back Off Cigarette Tax Deal

Three of the seven Republican senators who had been reported asco-sponsors of bills to raise the cigarette tax to fund children's health care insurance (Marketletter April 14), have now said they support the insurance - but not the tax. None offered an alternative for raising the money.

Another Republican senator also withdrew his support, noting that after carefully reading the legislation, he feared that demand for the insurance would outrun the money raised; he opposed the insurance measure but supported the tobacco tax.