Sunday: Ryan, Sanders, Paul
The president campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare and this week House Republicans finally released their proposed replacement, the American Health Care Act. The plan, put forward Monday evening, is under attack by both Democrats and Republicans with some Conservatives arguing the bill is too similar to Obamacare and doesn’t go far enough. The White House has pledged a “full-court press” to support the bill.
This Sunday on “Face the Nation” we’ll sit down with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, the chief defender of the bill. Ryan has referred to the AHCA as a “conservative wish list,” although many key conservative think tanks, advocacy groups and lawmakers openly oppose the bill. How does the Speaker plan on winning over opponents of his legislation?
We’ll also hear from GOP Senator Rand Paul, a vocal critic of the legislation. After being singled out by President Trump in a tweet, the Kentucky Senator doubled- down on his concerns of the AHCA calling the bill “Obamacare-lite.” Instead Paul is calling on Republicans to introduce dual legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, separating himself from the rest of his party. Would Paul’s maverick approach to repeal Obamacare without a replacement be too risky in a deeply divided Congress?
Democrats have warned that the GOP’s bill would result in taking away healthcare from millions of Americans and increase healthcare costs for the elderly. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will appear on “Face the Nation” to discuss opposition to the legislation. Sanders is a known supporter of a single- payer healthcare system and we’ll talk to the former Democratic presidential candidate about finding a possible middle ground with his Republican counterparts. Is there anything from the AHCA the Vermont Senator likes?
As always we’ll break down a busy week in Washington with our political panel. Avik Roy is the President of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, a Forbes Opinion Editor and a former policy advisor to key Republicans. He’ll be joined by Ezra Klein the Editor-in-Chief of Vox.com, Indira Lakshmanan, Washington Columnist for the Boston Globe and The New York Times’ Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker.
A lot to cover, be sure to check your local listings for times. Don’t miss it!
