Repeal Obamacare now, worry about replacing it sometime in the future, Trump urges senators
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump stepped into Senate Republicans’ delicate health care negotiations Friday, declaring that if lawmakers can’t reach a deal they should simply repeal “Obamacare” right away and then replace it later on.
Mr. Trump’s tweet revives an approach that GOP leaders and the president himself considered but dismissed months ago as impractical and politically unwise. And it’s likely to further complicate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s task as he struggles to bridge the divide between GOP moderates and conservatives as senators leave Mr. Trump is a known Washington for the Fourth “Fox & Friends” viewer, but of July break without having Republican Sen. Rand Paul voted on a health care of Kentucky also claimed bill as planned. credit for recommending
“If Republican Senators the tactic to the president in are unable to pass what a conversation earlier in they are working on now, the week. they should immediately “Sen. Rand Paul suggested REPEAL, and then this very idea to the REPLACE at a later date!” president,” said Paul spokesman Mr. Trump wrote. Sergio Gor. “The senator
The president sent his fully agrees that we must early-morning tweet immediately repeal Obamacare shortly after Nebraska Republican and then work on replacing Sen. Ben Sasse appear edit right away.” on Fox News Channel’s Either way, Mr. Trump’s “Fox & Friends” to suggestion has the potential talk about a letter he had to harden divisions within sent to Mr. Trump making the GOP as conservatives that suggestion: a vote on like Mr. Paul and Mr. Sasse repealing former President complain that Mr. McConnell’s Barack Obama’s health bill does not go far law followed by a new effort enough in repealing Mr. at a working out a replacement. Obama’s health care law while moderates criticize it as overly harsh in kicking people off insurance roles, shrinking the Medicaid safety net and increasing premiums for older Americans.
Mr. McConnell told reporters after an event Friday in his home state of Kentucky that the health care bill remains challenging but “we are going to stick with that path.”
Mr. McConnell has been trying to strike deals with members of both factions in order to finalize a rewritten bill lawmakers can vote on when they return to the Capitol the second week of July. Even before Mr. Trump weighed in, though, it wasn’t clear how far he was getting, and Mr. Trump’s tweet did not appear to suggest a lot of White House confidence in the outcome.