Can Trump overcome healthcare gaffe?
Editor’s Note:
US President Donald Trump withdrew his healthcare bill last week after it failed to gain enough votes in Congress. The collapse of the bill, which is supposed to replace and repeal former US president Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act ( ACA), has triggered heated discussions. Why did the bill fail to get the minimum of 215 Republican votes needed? How would this influence Trump’s future policies? The Global Times talked with two Chinese experts on the issue.
Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs, Renmin University of China
The ACA is one of the most significant political legacies of Obama’s eightyear tenure. Globalization has contributed to stratification in the American society, and Obamacare was introduced in this context to alleviate societal tensions, narrow down the wealth gap and comfort those who are disadvantaged. The ACA has a solid societal basis and is a guarantee of a stable American society in the long run. It is hard for the Trump administration to find a replacement for the ACA that is satisfactory to all in just a few months.
Repealing and replacing Obamacare is one of Trump’s major election pledges, but he is too anxious and hasty to turn his promises into reality. It is not an easy task for Trump to establish a totally new healthcare mechanism in a short time, and many policies he proposed have faced strong opposition.
The withdrawal of the bill shows that Trump will have to overcome a number of obstacles to realize his campaign promises. Replacing Obamacare, im- proving US ties with Russia and abolishing the Trans- Pacific Partnership are all significant parts of Trump’s 100- day plan, but it seems more time is needed for Trump to turn words into policies.
The new healthcare bill can be regarded as a test of Trump’s public support and political capability. In fact, apart from the Democrats, many Republicans, including Senator John McCain, have voiced opposition against Trump. Known for his big mouth, Trump was elected by stoking up the public discontent against the establishment, but many proposals put forward during his time in office so far have not been effective.
The collapse of the bill will strike a heavy blow to Trump’s political ambitions and his future policies. The Trump administration should be pre- pared for the complexity and obstacles in adjusting US policies on a number of foreign and domestic affairs in the future, for instance, Washington’s ties with Russia, the North Korean nuclear crisis, the tax reform and so forth.
Diao Daming, research fellow at the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
House Republicans failed to garner enough votes to pass Trump’s package on healthcare as about two thirds of the House Freedom Caucus ( HFC) opposed the bill. This result is a reflection of the continuous divergences – between traditional Republicans and Tea Partybranded representatives from HFC – among Republican members in the House of Representatives.
Trump seems to have attached more importance to his first 100 days than the rest of his term. The ACA, or Obamacare, took more than six months to be signed into law. However, Trump’s healthcare idea was proposed on March 6 and pushed to pass on March 23. Trump’s hasty pursuit of fulfilling his promise is the major reason for the bill’s demise. On top of that, Trump himself has scant knowledge about healthcare reform, which has led to a failed communication when he proposed the reform to the opposition and exerted pressure on them to pass.
Obamacare was a response to the demand from the whole US population which asked for national healthcare coverage. Thus, many elements of Obamacare are included in Trump’s plan. But, this failed to win the support of members from GOP’s extreme factions.
After taking office, Trump has been eager to realize the promises made to his voters. He tried to skirt around the Congress in the process of repealing Obama’s bills with unilateral actions but failed to replace the repealed bills with his own. Trump’s executive order cannot comprehensively and effectively facilitate his policymaking. Trump’s cooperation with the Congress is a significant part to realizing his campaign pledges. Given the setback in immigration ban and healthcare reform, this cooperation failed.
In the near future, it is expected that Trump’s budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year and his tax reform will also be challenged by the Congress. Trump’s administration will face more pressure on tax reform as it is more complicated than healthcare reform.