White House, in gamble, demands make-or-break health vote
WASHINGTON (AP) — Abandoning negotiations, President Donald Trump on Thursday demanded a make-or-break vote on health care legislation in the House, threatening to leave "Obamacare" in place and move on to other issues if Friday's vote fails.
The risky move, part gamble and part threat, was presented to GOP lawmakers behind closed doors Thursday night after a long and intense day that saw a planned vote on the health care bill scrapped as the legislation remained short of votes amid cascading negotiations among conservative lawmakers, moderates and others.
At the end of it the president had had enough and was ready to vote and move on, whatever the result, Trump's budget director Mick Mulvaney told lawmakers.
"'Negotiations are over, we'd like to vote tomorrow and let's get this done for the American people.' That was it," Rep. Duncan Hunter of California said as he left the meeting, summarizing Mulvaney's message to lawmakers.
And if the vote fails, Obamacare "stays for now," Hunter said.
"Let's vote," White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said as he left the meeting.
The outcome of Friday's vote was uncertain. Both conservative and moderate lawmakers claimed the bill lacked votes after a long day of talks.
The Republican legislation would halt Obama's tax penalties against people who don't buy coverage and cut the federal-state Medicaid program for low earners, which the Obama statute had expanded. It would provide tax credits to help people pay medical bills, though generally skimpier than Obama's statute provides. It also would allow insurers to charge older Americans more and repeal tax boosts the law imposed on high-income people and health industry companies.
The drama unfolded seven years to the day after Obama signed his landmark law, an anniversary GOP leaders meant to celebrate with a vote to undo the divisive legislation. "Obamacare" gave birth to the tea party movement and helped Republicans win and keep control of Congress and then take the White House.
Instead, forced to delay the vote, the anniversary turned into bitter irony for the GOP. As the House recessed and lawmakers negotiated, C-SPAN filled up the time playing footage of Obama signing the Affordable Care Act.
"In the final analysis, this bill falls short," GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state said in a statement Thursday as she became the latest rank-and-file Republican, normally loyal to leadership, to declare her opposition. "The difficulties this bill would create for millions of children were left unaddressed," she said, citing the unraveling of Medicaid.
In a danger sign for Republicans, a Quinnipiac University poll found that people disapprove of the GOP legislation by 56 percent to 17 percent, with 26 percent undecided. Trump's handling of health care was viewed unfavorably by 6 in 10.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who as speaker was Obama's crucial lieutenant in passing the Democratic bill in the first place, couldn't resist a dig at the GOP disarray.
"You may be a great negotiator," she said of Trump. "Rookie's error for bringing this up on a day when clearly you're not ready."
Obama declared in a statement that "America is stronger" because of the current law and said Democrats must make sure "any changes will make our health care system better, not worse for hardworking Americans." Trump tweeted to supporters, "Go with our plan! Call your Rep & let them know."
Congressional leaders have increasingly put the onus on the president to close the deal, seemingly seeking to ensure that he takes ownership of the legislation — and with it, ownership of defeat if that is the outcome.
Yet, unlike Obama and Pelosi when they passed Obamacare, the Republicans had failed to build an outside constituency or coalition to support their bill. Instead, medical professionals, doctors and hospitals — major employers in some districts — as well as the AARP and other influential consumer groups were nearly unanimously opposed. So were outside conservative groups who argued the bill didn't go far enough. The Chamber of Commerce was in favor.
Moderates were given pause by projections of 24 million Americans losing coverage in a decade and higher out-of-pocket costs for many low-income and older people, as predicted by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. In an updated analysis Thursday, the CBO said late changes to the bill meant to win over reluctant lawmakers would cut beneficial deficit reduction in half, while failing to cover more people.
And, House members were mindful that the bill, even if passed by the House, faces a tough climb in the Senate.
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A republican Super Pac announced that they will not support reps that vote against the bill.
On the other side the Koch Bros, a couple of days ago announced that they will fund any congressman that votes against the bill.
Battling dollars.
I bet the Koch brothers have more $$ than Trump. Or, at least I hope they do!
I bet most members of Congress individually in their own districts have a higher approval rating then Trump. Congress almost always has a low approval rating because most people hate Congress as a whole, but nearly everyone likes their Congressperson. So if Trump threatens to not come to a GOP Congressperson's District to campaign for them if they don't vote for this bill, considering his low performance rating for most of them that would be a blessing. He'd have more leverage by threatening TO come to their District and campaign for them!
Good points Randy.
Trump's net worth is around $4 billion. The Koch Bros net worth 3 years ago was just over $100 billion and has increased greatly in the last three years, Dowser.
Thanks! So, rep. Tom Massie who changed his vote from NO to HELL NO will likely be re-elected... At least he didn't abandon his constituents, this time...
That's true, Dowser.
President* Trump doesn't know jack shit about the GOP health care bill, or Obamacare. He wants to get it all over with so his complete ignorance of the issue does not become dragged out day after day over the course of a long negotiation over details. Take it to the bank.
I say the GOP congresspeople call his bluff.
I think that they will call his bluff as well. Now that the Koch bros have said they will support those that vote against it, their dollars will be the turning point for those that do want to vote NO on the bill.
I think what trump has to remember is , even though he won on the R ballot , he is STILL a political outsider and his threats don't mean much or really carry much weight within the party, hell the only real political INSIDER on the ballot last nov , was Hillary , and we saw where being an insider got her.
In addition to that Mark, the Koch bros wield a lot of power in the party.
''The conservative Koch network is promising to spend millions of dollars to defeat the health care overhaul backed by President Donald Trump and top House Republicans.
The network's leading groups, Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners, announced late Wednesday the creation of a special fund to support House members who vote against the bill.''
The more they try to change the bill to make hard core conservatives happy, the more they drive away moderates who hate the idea of going home and trying to explain why they voted for a bill that will throw millions of people off from health care, especially since it has virtually no chance of success in the Senate. The more they they to make the moderates happy, the more the conservatives complain that it is somehow just another entitlement program, which I have no idea where they get that from, so they won't vote for it. They needed to find a way to craft a bill that would make enough of their caucus happy before trying to ram it through without even knowing if they had enough GOP votes to get it done. Amateur hour.
I suppose it is possible that it will still somehow pass the House tomorrow, but I think it's more likely the vote will be delayed again and momentum for passing any change will begin to wane.
In fact a couple of moderate republicans that had supported the bill have changed their minds with the concessions that were made to please the ultra right.
Show Down at Big Sky.