Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GOP Senators Shrug Off Trump's Twitter Outrage As They Start To Distance Selves From President
The New York Times: ‘Time To Move On’: Senate G.O.P. Flouts Trump After Health Care Defeat
Senate Republicans are not pretending to have missed the tweets anymore. They have abandoned well-worn phrases, like “growing pains” and “sea legs,” that sustained them through the endless winter and spring. And if a few months ago President Trump’s scattershot demands might have sent the chamber into a lather, compelling lawmakers to honor his megaphone, the collective shrugs at his rage over last week’s failed health care repeal vote have signaled a new phase in this shotgun marriage of unified Republican rule. (Flegenheimer and Kaplan, 8/1)
The Associated Press: Senate Republicans Slowly Turning Their Backs On Trump
There wasn't a dramatic public break or an exact moment it happened. But step by step, Senate Republicans are turning their backs on President Donald Trump. They defeated an Obamacare repeal bill despite Trump's pleas. They're ignoring his Twitter demands that they get back to work on the repeal measure. They dissed the White House budget director, defended the attorney general against the president's attacks and passed veto-proof sanctions on Russia over his administration's objections. (Werner, 8/2)
The Washington Post: Can This Marriage Be Saved? Relationship Between Trump, Senate GOP Hits New Skids.
The relationship between President Trump and Senate Republicans has deteriorated so sharply in recent days that some are openly defying his directives, bringing long-simmering tensions to a boil as the GOP labors to reorient its stalled legislative agenda. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), head of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, announced Tuesday that he would work with his Democratic colleagues to “stabilize and strengthen” the individual insurance market under the Affordable Care Act, which the president has badgered the Senate to keep trying to repeal. Alexander also urged the White House to keep up payments to insurers that help low-income consumers afford plans, which Trump has threatened to cut off. (Sullivan, 8/1)
The Wall Street Journal: Senate Republicans Rebuff Donald Trump’s Health-Care Push
Senate Republicans made clear on Tuesday that they want to chart their own course to focus on a tax overhaul and critical fiscal legislation, bypassing requests from President Donald Trump and White House officials to keep health care their top legislative priority. (Hughes, Andrews and Hook, 8/1)
NPR: Trump Threatens Congress' Health Care; Senate Republicans Don't Seem Too Worried
Senate Republicans don't appear to be too worried about President Trump's latest round of threats. "If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!" Trump said on Twitter over the weekend. He followed that tweet with a similar threat Monday, writing, "If ObamaCare if hurting people, & it is, why shouldn't it hurt the insurance companies & why should Congress not be paying what the public pays?" And yet, the Senate is clearly moving on from health care — at least for now. (Detrow, 8/1)
The Hill: Senate Republicans Brush Off Trump's Healthcare Demands
Senate Republicans appear poised to ignore President Trump's demands that they immediately resurrect ObamaCare repeal and abolish the legislative filibuster. Trump has waged a public pressure campaign against GOP senators since they failed to pass even a “skinny” bill repealing ObamaCare last week. (Carney, 8/1)
