Trump knocks House health care bill as too harsh
The president offered no detailed directives, but pressed for a deal.
By Burgess Everett , Jennifer Haberkorn and Josh Dawsey
06/13/2017 02:57 PM EDT
Updated 06/13/2017 05:33 PM EDT
President Donald Trump directed Senate Republicans to pass a generous health care bill at a meeting with more than a dozen GOP senators on Tuesday, arguing that the austere House health care bill is difficult to defend, according to people familiar with the meeting.
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.
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who is pushing the Senate to slow the repeal of Medicaid expansion, indicated Trump is concerned about the people who are enrolled in the program for low-income Americans.
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http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/13/trump-urge-gop-senate-repeal-obamacare-239504
