White House, GOP leaders make final pitch on bill

WASHINGTON — The White House and Senate Republican leaders are planning a final, urgent blitz to pressure reluctant GOP senators to pass an overhaul of the Affordable Care Act before their monthlong August recess.

Aware that the next 14 days probably represent their last chance to salvage their flagging endeavor, President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., intend to single out individual senators and escalate a broad defense of the evolving proposal, according to Republicans familiar with their plans.

When Trump returns from Europe, he plans to counter the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the legislation — which shows that 22 million fewer people would have insurance coverage by 2026 than under the current law — with figures and analyses from conservative groups and Republicans that show more benefits and less disruption, should the bill pass, according to a White House official familiar with the strategy.

Pence, meanwhile, is being asked to help bring along skeptical GOP senators, including Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., to whom he has already reached out personally.

McConnell is expected to place greater responsibility on Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to pitch his controversial amendment that would allow insurers to offer plans that don’t meet ACA requirements — provided they also offer some that do.

The plans, which the Republicans described on the condition of anonymity, reflect the immense pressure GOP leaders feel as they try to bring their bill to a vote on the Senate floor.

It is far from clear that the strategy will work. Even as Trump has sought to complement McConnell’s efforts with his own, he has also complicated the majority leader’s life — most notably urging a vote on strictly repealing the law if the current effort is unsuccessful. McConnell has floated a different backup plan: working with Democrats to stabilize the insurance markets.

McConnell can afford to lose only two of the 52 Republican senators if he hopes to pass the bill. No Democrats plan to vote for the measure, but Pence is ready to cast a tie-breaking vote if needed.