Trump says he wants to finish health care so he can move on
President Trump is trying to give the teetering Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare a new sense of urgency by saying he’d like to get it over with and move on to the agenda items he cares about.
In an arena filled with thousands of cheering Kentuckians Monday evening, the president tied the future of the House-crafted health care proposal to his ability to fulfill other campaign pledges, like reducing taxes and renegotiating trade deals.
“We want a very big tax cut, but cannot do that until we keep our promise to repeal and replace the disaster known as ‘Obamacare,’” he told the crowd of thousands in Louisville. “This is our long-awaited chance to finally get rid of ‘Obamacare.’”
Mr. Trump plans to court House Republicans during a Tuesday morning trip to Capitol Hill. The House is expected to vote on the Republican legislation on Thursday, which is the seventh anniversary of the passage of Obama’s health care restructuring, the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The legislation to undo Obama’s signature law faces an uncertain future in both chambers - thanks largely to members of the president’s own party, including some who see it as not enough of a “repeal.”
Monday night, House Republican leaders unveiled changes to the bill that would help older Americans with expenses, and would immediately prohibit additional states from opting into the Obamacare Medicaid program. They would also, however, allow states to opt into traditional Medicaid block grants.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has called the repeal-and-replace plan “Obamacare Lite” and is actively working to defeat it.
The state’s other senator - Majority Leader Mitch McConnell - accompanied Mr. Trump to his Kentucky rally.
McConnell stepped onto the stage to a smattering of boos and spoke for about one minute, only to briefly re-emerge when the president asked him to assure the crowd that the health care plan was “looking good.” McConnell peeked from behind a curtain and offered two thumbs up.
In Mr. Trump’s two previous campaign-style rallies since inauguration, which are put on by his 2020 election committee, Trump barely mentioned health care. This time, his 40-minute remarks more fully explored the subject. But Mr. Trump - and the capacity crowd in the arena - appeared more animated when he talked about other matters.
“We’re going to be doing some trade deals as soon as we get the health care finished - oh, I’m looking forward to these trade deals,” Trump said, seeming to sing those last two words as the audience applauded.
The president said he is working with McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan and other lawmakers to get the health care overhaul passed.
“We’re going to do it; we’re going to do it,” the president said, though not with the vigor that marks his signature lines. He said he was determined to get the legislation passed “in some form.”
Mr. Trump also hinted at several political exit strategies, drawing huge cheers when he said, “It’s time for Democrat leaders in Washington to take responsibility for the disaster that they and they alone created.”
He also said he is eager to reduce the cost of medicine “through the competitive bidding process. Some people think that’s just as important as health care.”