Trump will leave Obamacare ‘to fail’ following Senate setback
DONALD TRUMP was blindsided as his attempt to overhaul America’s healthcare system collapsed in the US Senate in potentially the biggest setback for his administration so far.
The president had invited a group of Republican senators to the White House on Monday night in an attempt to shore up support for a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, the signature domestic policy legacy of his predecessor Barack Obama.
At the dinner Mr Trump gave an impassioned argument and told senators they would look “terrible” if they failed to secure the measure after promising for seven years to undo Obamacare.
But shortly after finishing dessert the White House was caught off guard as two Republican senators, who were not invited to the dinner, publicly declared they would not vote for the bill.
The announcements by rebels Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas and Senator Mike Lee of Utah, meant it would not have majority support in the Senate.
Mr Trump later said he was “very disappointed” and announced his new policy to “let Obamacare fail”.
Republicans argue that Obamacare is in a “death spiral” of rising costs and will collapse if left alone.
Mr Trump said: “We’ll just let Obamacare fail. It will be a lot easier. We’re not going to own it. I’m not going to own it. The Republicans are not going to own it. We’ll let Obamacare fail and then the Democrats will come to us and say ‘How do we fix it?’ Eventually, we’ll get something done.”
Republicans have so far failed to pass healthcare reform, known as “Trumpcare”, despite holding the White House and both houses of Congress. The failure of the Senate healthcare bill, officially called the Better Care Reconciliation Act, means Mr Trump still has no major legislative achievements to tout after six months in office.
The setback immediately sent the US dollar to a 10-month low amid doubts over his administration’s ability to achieve other elements of his agenda including tax reform.
Mr Trump responded angrily on Twitter, writing: “We were let down by all of the Democrats and a few Republicans. Most Republicans were loyal, terrific and worked really hard. We will return!” He said Congress should “start from a clean slate” on a new healthcare plan that Democrats could join.
Mitch Mcconnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, said he would try to bring legislation to the Senate floor in coming days that would be a straight repeal of Obamacare without introducing a replacement.
Under the plan there would then be a two-year delay in implementing repeal, allowing time for agreement on a different system. He said: “We will now try a different way to bring the American people relief from Obamacare.”
However, there were already doubts that would succeed with Democrats unanimously opposed and many Republicans concerned by a two-year delay. Chuck Schumer, the Democrat leader in the Senate, said: “Repealing Obamacare without a replacement would be a disaster. It’s crystal clear. It’s time to move on.”
About 20 million Americans gained healthcare coverage under Mr Obama’s 2010 Affordable Care Act which Republicans have long viewed as an example of costly government overreach.