Republicans warned to ‘be careful’ in repeal

Washington — Is Donald Trump going wobbly on repealing Obamacare, one of his signature campaign pledges? A series of vague statements Wednesday that Republicans “must be careful” and that the law will “fall of its own weight” suggested that he might be having second thoughts.

Backtracking on that pledge, not only one of his biggest promises but also one of the biggest for the new Republican Congress, would be a significant flip-flop. But figuring out a replacement for the law, without losing its most popular attributes, is proving exceedingly difficult for Republicans.

It’s unclear what, exactly, Trump is recommending. But his tweets suggest the belief that by doing nothing, Republicans could absolve themselves of political responsibility for high health costs. He did not say if or how he would he would help alleviate health costs for millions of Americans.

“Republicans must be careful in that the Dems own the failed ObamaCare disaster, with its poor coverage and massive premium increases. … like the 116% hike in Arizona. Also, deductibles are so high that it is practically useless. Don’t let the Schumer clowns out of this web … massive increases of ObamaCare will take place this year and Dems are to blame for the mess. It will fall of its own weight — be careful!” Trump tweeted.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, the New Yorker who leads Democrats in the Senate, said in several interviews Wednesday that Republicans are in a bind over their efforts to repeal the law.

“They are like the dog who caught the bus,” he told Politico. “Because you cannot repeal a plan and put nothing in its place. It doesn’t matter if you say the repeal won’t take place for a year or two years.”