In Drive To Secure A Health Deal, Trump Reveals Lack Of Understanding On Nitty-Gritty Details
President Donald Trump is pressing Congress to close the deal on health law negotiations but, as his recent comments show, he may not know the full extent of what is in the legislation he's championing.
The New York Times:
Pushing For Vote On Health Care Bill, Trump Seems Unclear On Its Details
After two false starts on President Trump’s promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Trump administration officials ratcheted up pressure on the House on Monday to vote on a revised version of the Republican repeal bill this week, even as support may actually be eroding. The president complicated his pitch with a jumble of statements that indicated he did not fully understand the content of the measure he was pushing. (Pear, 5/1)
The Associated Press:
Pushing For Victories, Trump Shows Disconnect With House GOP
In interviews and Tweets, Trump has been notably off-topic and off-message about the state of affairs in Congress. His recent description of the health care bill suggested he was unfamiliar with how the bill addresses coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Congressional leaders and White House aides have struggled to agree on the level of optimism and timing for a vote. (Thomas and Werner, 5/1)
Bloomberg:
Trump Wants Health-Care Bill To Protect Pre-Existing Conditions
President Donald Trump said Monday the Republican health-care bill being negotiated in Congress ultimately will protect Americans with pre-existing conditions as well as Obamacare does. “I want it to be good for sick people. It’s not in its final form right now," he said during an Oval Office interview Monday with Bloomberg News. "It will be every bit as good on pre-existing conditions as Obamacare." (Talev, Jacobs and Epstein, 5/1)
CQ Roll Call:
White House Mixes Signals On Health Care Votes
The White House delivered conflicting messages on Monday about whether there are enough votes among House Republicans to pass President Donald Trump’s long-promised overhaul of the 2010 health care law. Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters White House officials and GOP leaders are “closer and closer” to securing the votes needed to pass a measure (HR 1628) that would reconfigure the Obama administration’s signature domestic policy achievement. White House officials still "feel very good" about intraparty talks about getting the House GOP votes needed this week to pass a partial repeal and replace measure. There has been little evidence of major movement toward passage of the House GOP measure in recent days. (Bennett, 5/1)
Politico:
Dawdling Congress Tests Trump's Patience
The congressional GOP’s protracted efforts to repeal Obamacare could exact a heavy toll on the rest of Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. If repeal in the House is successful, action on some of the president's top legislative priorities is expected to be pushed back to late this year or even next year, when lawmakers will be up for reelection and more reluctant to cast tough votes. The delay also threatens to sap whatever Republican momentum remains from the election, in the midst of what’s often the most prolific stretch of a new presidency. (Everett and Kim, 5/2)
Politico:
5 Trump Health Care Promises That Won't Become Reality
Donald Trump broke the first campaign promise he made about Obamacare when he couldn’t scrap the law on the day he took office. He’ll get another chance to make good on the pledge this week, if the House takes up a revised repeal-replace plan. But the version of the legislation he’s endorsing undermines other key promises candidate and President-elect Trump made about the cost and quality of health care in America — not to mention the way he said he’d bring about change. (Diamond, 5/1)
