Trump promises "big surprise" on health care
President Donald Trump says the Republican health care effort is "working along very well" and suggested there could be a "big surprise coming." The White House did not elaborate on what Trump meant.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump told reporters getting approval of a Senate health care bill will be "very tough," although he referred to his meeting with Senate Republicans Tuesday as "wonderful."
He predicted that Republicans will at least "get very close" and may "get it over the line." He said the GOP plan "has a chance to be great health care at a reasonable cost," and he called it a "tremendous plan."
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell postponed a vote on the Republican health care bill this week because he lacked the votes.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling on Trump to meet with Republicans and Democrats on the Senate bill. Asked about the request, Trump said Wednesday that Schumer "hasn't been serious."
He added, "Obamacare is such a disaster, such a wreck. And he wants to try and save something that's really hurting a lot of people."
The Senate delayed its vote on a plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act after it failed to attract enough votes for passage.
Earlier Wednesday, the president complained over Twitter about a New York Times story that portrays him as less engaged in the discussions over the Senate Republican health care bill than he was in the House bill. He tweeted that "The failing @nytimes writes false story after false story about me." He continued, "Some of the Fake News Media likes to say that I am not totally engaged in healthcare. Wrong, I know the subject well & want victory for U.S."
The Times said Mr. Trump was making fewer phone calls to senators, for instance, compared to the number of House members he called when the House was considering its health care measure.
Further, according to the Times, an unidentified senator who supports the bill left the meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday "with a sense that the president did not have a grasp of some basic elements of the Senate plan."