MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY
Trump ultimatum as health bill crashes
President Trump tried to strong-arm reps (and show off his 18-wheeler skills) as Congress delayed its ObamaCare replacement vote until today.
President Trump issued an ultimatum to the House Republican majority Thursday night — pass the GOP health-care bill by Friday or he’ll leave ObamaCare as it is and work on other issues, sources said.
The commander in chief’s stern warning came after a chaotic day on Capitol Hill during which Republican leaders were forced to postpone a vote on their ObamaCare replacement plan until Friday for fear it did not have the support to pass by the original Thursday deadline.
As it became clear his signature proposal was in danger, Trump doubled down, telling holdout Republicans that the time for negotiation was over.
“It’s a vote to maintain ObamaCare or it’s a vote to get rid of Obamacare,” Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) told The Post. “If he can’t get the votes tomorrow, he’ll never get the votes, so it’s time to move on.”
Trump, who personally courted Republicans at the White House Thursday, sent the my-way-or-thehighway message through his budget director, Mick Mulvaney, who addressed GOPers at a hastily called meeting in the Capitol basement.
“Mick Mulvaney was very direct in saying we’re done negotiating,” Collins said.
Putting pressure on Republicans, Trump said this will be their one shot to get it done, or else he’ll turn his focus to tax reform and immigration.
“This is the only train leaving the station,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told Fox News Thursday night.
The White House had already of- fered concessions aimed at winning support from leery conservatives, including ending rules that make all health-insurance policies carry “essential benefits” for coverage on expenditures such as emergemcy care, hospitalization and pregnancy.
Despite the deal, House Speaker Paul Ryan decided in the afternoon to cancel the evening vote on the bill, which had ceremoniously been scheduled for the seventh anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare.
The bill would have gone down to defeat with enough “no” votes from conservative GOP Freedom Caucus members, who call the bill ObamaCare Lite, and from moderates who fear that too many of their constitu- ents would lose coverage.
It was still unclear after midnight whether the bill would have the votes to pass later Friday.
Moderates like Rep. Dan Donovan (R-SI) remain a “no” vote, and an updated Congressional Budget Office score will do little to sway those on the fence.
The GOP health-care plan will save less money — $150 billion, compared with $337 billion over 10 years in the original version — and still mean 24 million fewer Americans will be insured by 2026, the CBO projected.
But some conservative holdouts lauded the concessions to undo some of ObamaCare’s coverage mandates. Rep. Trent Franks (R- Ariz.) wasn’t ready to commit to a “yes” vote but told The Post he was “profoundly encouraged” by the effort to help drive down premiums.
Other conservatives were peeved by the hasty negotiations.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he went from a “no” to a “hell no.”
Friday’s vote sets up the first major test of whether Trump’s famed deal-making skills can work on an unruly Congress.
After the meeting with Mulvaney, the consequences of letting down the president weighed on members.
“It’s not a perfect bill [but] it’s better than what we’ve got,” Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) told The Post. “And if we vote it down, we’ll neuter Donald Trump’s presidency.”