RYAN SEEKS UNITY
lican leaders was coming not from Democrats but from a rebellion in their own ranks and from potent outside groups.
Just as ominous as GOP unrest was hostility from three organizations instrumental in the 2010 enactment of Obama’s overhaul: the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and AARP, the nation’s largest advocacy group for older people.
The hospitals — major employers in many districts — wrote lawmakers complaining about the bill’s cuts in Medicaid and other programs and said more uninsured Americans seem likely, adding, “We ask Congress to protect our patients.”
In words aimed at his own recalcitrant colleagues, Ryan, R-Wis., declared the legislation “is bold and it is long overdue. And it is us fulfilling our promises.” The last was a nod to campaign pledges by Trump and many GOP congressional candidates.
There were signs of growing White House engagement, and perhaps progress.
Trump met at the White House late Wednesday with leaders of six conservative groups that have opposed the GOP legislation, and several voiced optimism afterward.
“I’m encouraged that the president indicated they’re pushing to make changes in the bill,” said David McIntosh, head of the Club for Growth, though he provided no specifics.
Underscoring Trump’s potential impact, Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., said of GOP holdouts, “A lot of them, they maybe haven’t felt the inertia that comes with Air Force One landing in their district.”