Prez in race to woo GOP undecideds

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday warned that the House plan to repeal and replace Obamacare would lead to massive state tax hikes or devastating service cuts if enacted, while a key New York Republican said he will not vote for the bill.

Cuomo for a second straight day blasted the Trumpcare amendment put forward by upstate Republican Reps. Chris Collins and John Faso that would shift the counties’ share of Medicaid outside of New York City to the state.

“Life has options, and the hard reality is that Collins and Faso are leaving New York State with only two unacceptable choices,” Cuomo said. “Either we could pass on the devastating cuts to our hospitals, nursing homes and the 40% of New Yorkers who currently receive Medicaid and health benefits. Or, we would be forced to raise state income taxes — either by increasing taxes on all New Yorkers by 10%, or if Collins and Faso have their way in protecting only the wealthy, on the middle class by 26%.”

The shift would add $2.3 billion to the state budget, bringing the total loss the state is looking at under the House bill to $6.9 billion over the next four years, he said.

Cuomo said that under the bill, 2.7 million New Yorkers will lose health coverage while hospitals will see funding cut by $355 million. His office Thursday began spelling out specifically how it would hurt hospitals in Republican congressional districts.

Cuomo called it “absurd” to ask the state to cover the costs at the same time the health care bill provides a $150 billion tax cut to the 1% richest Americans and a $54 billion increase in defense spending.

A House vote is scheduled for Thursday.

On Wednesday, Staten Island Republican Rep. Daniel Donovan (inset right) announced he would be voting against the bill.

“Since my first day serving in Congress I made a commitment to weigh the impact my vote will have on the people and families of Staten Island and Brooklyn first,” he wrote in the Staten Island Advance. “That is why I will vote no on the American Health Care Act. I do not believe the legislation as currently written is in the best interest of the 740,000 people I represent in Congress, and I believe we can do better.”

Another House Republican from New York, John Katko of Syracuse, previously announced his opposition to the bill.

They find themselves aligned with conservative billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, who have pledged millions in campaign dollars to Republicans who vote against the bill.

Four others lawmakers — Collins, Faso, Claudia Tenney and Tom Reed — say they will vote for the bill, while Elise Stefanik, Lee Zeldin and Pete King were leaning toward voting for it. Collins and Faso argue their amendment would be a huge benefit to New York’s counties. They also said the state should be able to cover the added costs either from within the budget or by cutting spending.

“The thought would be somehow our governor, being as inept as he is, can’t find a single dollar of savings in a $63 billion Medicaid program over the next three years, I mean, give me a break, governor,” Collins said. Collins said Cuomo’s proposed state budget, according to a Citizens Union report, has $14 billion in funding that has little explanation.

“He extorts votes with his slush funds,” he said.

Faso called Cuomo’s statement “absurd,” “unfortunate,” and “reprehensible.” WASHINGTON — His allies are calling him “the closer.” Thursday will show whether President Trump can get a save for House Republicans on Obamacare repeal.

Trump has stepped up to beg, bluster and bully GOP lawmakers in recent days to vote for their leadership’s repeal bill, embracing legislation he’d once kept at arm’s length and strapping himself to its fate in the process.

But even with Trump visiting the Hill, working the phones and hosting recalcitrant members at the White House in recent days, it’s unclear whether he will have the votes to pass the bill.

“We’re bringing them to the closer,” Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), a member of House leadership, declared as he entered a meeting with Trump and a number of lawmakers who were leaning toward voting against the bill Wednesday morning.

In a city enamored with bad sports metaphors, House Republicans have been piling them on. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) declared Trump had both hit it “out of the park” and knocked the “cover off the ball” when talking about Trump’s Tuesday visit to Capitol Hill.

That’s setting up a high-pressure save situation for Trump, without whom the bill would have likely collapsed already.

While Trump’s team is expressing confidence, Republicans were at least a half-dozen votes away from ramming through the legislation late Wednesday.