Trump Calls House Bill ‘Mean,’ Says Senate Version Should Be More ‘Generous’
President Donald Trump hosted senators at the White House to discuss their health care push, and he, according to sources, took a much different tone on the House's version than he did when he was celebrating its passage.
The Wall Street Journal:
Senate Republicans Push To Reach Health Deal
Senate Republicans raced Tuesday to bridge divisions over rickety insurance markets and billions of dollars in insurance subsidies in their pursuit of a health-care deal. While President Donald Trump predicted a deal would emerge, hard work remained behind the scenes. (Peterson, Radnofsky and Armour, 6/13)
The Associated Press:
Sources: Trump Tells Senators House Health Bill 'Mean'
President Donald Trump told Republican senators Tuesday that the House-passed health care bill he helped revive is "mean" and urged them to craft a version that is "more generous," congressional sources said. Trump's remarks were a surprising slap at a Republican-written House measure that was shepherded by Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and whose passage the president lobbied for and praised. At a Rose Garden ceremony minutes after the bill's narrow House passage on May 4, Trump called it "a great plan." (Fram, 6/13)
Reuters:
Trump Hosts Lunch With Republican Senators, Obamacare Repeal On Menu
During the portion of the lunch open to reporters, Trump told the lawmakers their healthcare bill would need to be "generous" and "kind." "That may be adding additional money into it," he said, without offering details on how much money might be needed or how it might be used. (Cornwell and Roscoe, 6/13)
The Washington Post:
Trump Calls House Health Bill That He Celebrated In The Rose Garden ‘Mean’
Trump’s labeling of the House bill as “mean” was a significant shift of tone that followed months of private and public negotiations, during which he called the bill “great” and urged GOP lawmakers to vote for it. Following the House vote, Trump hosted an event in the Rose Garden to celebrate its passage. Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.), who attended the lunch, said Trump talked about “making sure that we have a bill that protects people with preexisting conditions” and how to design a tax credit for purchasing insurance that works for lower-income and elderly people in particular. (Snell and Sullivan, 6/13)
USA Today:
Trump Told Senators The Obamacare Repeal Bill He Once Celebrated Is 'Mean'
Democrats and some moderate Republicans have attacked the House bill for eliminating a requirement that insurers cover people with pre-existing conditions and for rolling back the Obamacare expansion of Medicaid to cover millions of poor people. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the House bill will result in 23 million more people being uninsured by 2026. (Collins, 6/13)
Politico:
Trump Knocks House Health Care Bill As Too Harsh
The president also said Republicans risk getting savaged in the 2018 midterms if they fail to repeal Obamacare after a seven-year campaign against the law. But he made clear that the Senate needs to pass a bill that Republicans are able to more easily defend and is not viewed as an attack on Americans from low-income households, as the House bill has been portrayed by critics, the sources said. He also advocated more robust tax credits for people who buy insurance on the individual market, a move that would increase the bill’s cost. (Everett, Haberkorn and Dawsey, 6/13)
The Hill:
Trump Calls House Healthcare Bill 'Mean'
It is unclear what effect Trump's comments about the House bill might have. Senate Republicans were already planning to make the bill more generous, for example by increasing tax credits for low-income people. (Sullivan, 6/13)
CQ Roll Call:
White House Pushes Senate To Act On Health Bill
Trump said before the lunch that he wants senators to pass a health care overhaul "as soon as we can do it." The president praised Republican senators for “working very, very hard” to reach consensus on a version of a health bill to repeal and replace the 2010 health law. Without getting into policy specifics, Trump predicted the Senate eventually will pass a “phenomenal bill” that will feature a “great health care plan” that will be "far better” than the Obama-era law. (Young and Bennett, 6/13)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Donald Trump Talked Health Care And Apprenticeships Tuesday In Milwaukee Area
President Donald Trump used a visit Tuesday to southeastern Wisconsin to hint a major manufacturer could be coming to the state and declare the Affordable Care Act a catastrophe that must be reversed... On a whirlwind trip, Trump talked health care at Mitchell International Airport, touted apprenticeships at WCTC and returned to Milwaukee to raise campaign cash for Walker. (Marley, Glauber and Liu, 6/13)
