President Trump again calls for new health care plan
WASHINGTON — Trying to move forward after a big staff shake-up, facing issues ranging from North Korea to his own attorney general, President Trump said Sunday that Republicans should keep trying to repeal and replace Obamacare — while a top aide suggested he would pursue the same goal by cutting regulations.
“Don’t give up Republican Senators, the World is watching: Repeal & Replace,” Trump tweeted early in the day.
In the meantime, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said during Sunday show interviews that the administration would look at current regulations they believe drive up health care costs, including the mandate that requires people to buy health insurance.
“We’re going to look at every single one of those rules and regulations, all 1,442 of them,” Price said on ABC’s This Week. Trump spent the weekend at the White House after announcing late Friday he had replaced chief of staff Reince Priebus with retired general John Kelly, who moves to the White House after a stint as secretary of Homeland Security. The removal of Priebus, just six months into the presidency, came a week after Trump tapped supporter and Wall Street businessman Anthony Scaramucci to be communications director, a move that triggered the resignation of press secretary and Priebus ally Sean Spicer. The Trump staff shake-up may not be over. Trump has spent recent days attacking Attorney General Jeff Sessions, still upset that he recused himself from a federal investigation of possible links between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russians who sought to influence last year’s election. Trump believes Sessions’ recusal led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, the ex-FBI director. Sessions has refused to quit; Trump has refused, so far, to fire him. As for health care, Senate Republicans have been unable to agree on a way forward. During Sunday show appearances, Price claimed Obamacare is “imploding” and said Trump may use executive authority to address the law.
(usatoday)