After Promising ‘Repeal’ For 7 Years and Failing, The GOP Is Worried About Facing Its Own Voters
"When something has been committed to and it doesn't happen and then it doesn't happen again, I think it's self-evident it isn't a good thing," said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) who's retiring rather than seek a third term next year. Meanwhile, the Democrats are going to seize their chance to turn the tables on the Republicans who have been hammering them for years on health care.
The Associated Press:
Health Care Defeat Leaves GOP In Crouch, Dems On Offense
Republicans face a big problem following the collapse of their latest push to repeal the Obama health care law: Their own voters are angry and don't trust them. Right now, they don't know what to do about it. That's trouble for a party preparing to defend its House and Senate majorities in 2018 midterm elections that look riskier than most imagined months ago. (9/29)
The Associated Press:
GOP Unsure How To Deal With Voters Angry Over Health Care
Republicans face a big problem following the collapse of their latest push to repeal the Obama health care law: Their own voters are angry and don't trust them. Right now, they don't know what to do about it. That's trouble for a party preparing to defend its House and Senate majorities in 2018 midterm elections that look riskier than most imagined months ago. (9/30)
The Hill:
Dems Look To Turn ObamaCare Tables On GOP In '18
On Tuesday, Senate Republicans decided against voting by the end of September on a last-ditch effort to repeal the health law, acknowledging the measure wouldn’t have passed. The announcement effectively killed the repeal effort for the immediate future, as the fast-track budget maneuver Republicans were using to gut ObamaCare can't be used this year after Sept. 30. Even without a new GOP-made health care system to run against, Democrats believe they have enough ammo to hit Republicans by pointing to the previous repeal attempts, all of which scored badly in approval polls. (Roubein, 10/1)
And in other health law news —
Stateline:
So Far, All GOP Health Proposals Would Mean More Decisions, Less Money for States
Despite their latest failure to scrap the Affordable Care Act, Republicans have vowed to keep trying. If they fulfill that promise, their future proposals are likely to resemble their past ones in one key respect: They will ask states to remake the health insurance marketplaces within their borders with less federal money to do it. (Ollove, 9/29)
Bloomberg:
Senate Budget Won’t Let GOP Pursue Full Obamacare Repeal
Senate Republicans unveiled a fiscal 2018 budget resolution Friday that they intend to use to push through as much as $1.5 trillion of tax cuts in the coming months, but it won’t allow the GOP to pursue a full repeal of Obamacare. The budget proposal would still allow Republicans to pursue a much narrower attack on the Affordable Care Act, including repealing the individual mandate to purchase coverage. The resolution also would let the GOP use the fast-track process to open up drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Wasson, 9/29)
The Hill:
Cruz Warns Against ObamaCare 'Bailout'
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Friday warned against a "bailout" of insurance companies, a warning shot as other Republicans work with Democrats on a bill to stabilize ObamaCare markets. “It would be a serious mistake to bail out insurance companies, rather than provide relief to the millions of Americans who are hurting under Obamacare," Cruz said in a statement. (Sullivan, 9/29)
The Hill:
No ObamaCare Repeal In New GOP Budget
Senate Republicans appear to have conceded defeat on repealing ObamaCare this year, as the newly released budget resolution for fiscal year 2018 focuses almost entirely on tax reform. The draft released Friday only includes legislating instructions to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, which don’t have jurisdiction over health insurance. (Weixel, 9/29)
Roll Call:
Mike Pence Showered With Praise Despite Stalled Agenda
Vice President Mike Pence has spent countless hours behind closed doors with congressional Republicans negotiating on health care and other issues, yet the GOP legislative agenda has largely stalled. But Republican lawmakers are not blaming President Donald Trump’s Capitol Hill “insider” — quite the contrary, in fact. Pence, once part of the House GOP leadership team, was billed as Trump’s get-things-done guy. So far, the vice president’s appreciable legislative accomplishments are scant. ... House and Senate Republicans across the spectrum were eager to shield the VP from criticism last week after a second Republican-crafted health care bill failed in the Senate. (Bennett, 10/2)
