Senate Republicans are ignoring former President Trump’s call to try again to repeal the Affordable Care Act if Republicans regain the White House and Senate majority next year.
Democrats, hurt over border security, are looking to elevate the health care issue in the 2024 election, but President Trump has given them plenty of ammunition and is squaring off with Democrats who are likely to be the Republican presidential nominee. Congressional Republicans are taking a different stance on this big issue.
President Biden used President Trump’s remarks to accuse Republicans of still wanting to repeal Obamacare in his State of the Union address.
Republican senators say that while they support reforms to lower health care costs, President Trump’s calls to repeal Obamacare are misplaced.
“People moved elsewhere,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). “If you walked into a room and said my number one priority is to repeal and replace Obamacare, half the people would say, ‘What?’ Why? Huh?’
“It’s not the rallying cry it used to be,” she said. “Let’s not walk that plank anymore.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Republican John Thune (S.D.), and other Senate Republican leaders have declared the fight against Obamacare over and broken with President Trump. There is.
Asked about Trump’s comments, McConnell said, “It looks like it’s pretty much over to me,” noting that he was not involved in the Trump campaign’s development of the issue.
Thune, who is running to replace McConnell as Senate Republican leader, has made repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act a priority in 2025 if Republicans control the White House and both chambers. It also put a damper on the idea of
“The Affordable Care Act, at least in many of its provisions, is probably here to stay, whether we like it or not,” he said.
But Thune said Republicans intend to avoid health care policy altogether, even though polls show voters trust Democrats more than Republicans to handle health care policy. He said no.
“There are things we can do in the health care sector that can create some savings and make the way we deliver health care in this country more efficient,” he said. “That debate won’t go away.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the top Republican on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which has jurisdiction over health care policy, said there simply isn’t enough support for Republicans’ goal of repealing Obamacare. And it failed in 2017, President Trump’s first year in office.
“It doesn’t have the votes. That’s just the reality,” he said when asked about Republicans’ willingness to undo former President Obama’s signature domestic accomplishments.
A KFF Health Tracking poll released in December found that while 6 in 10 voters say they have more confidence in Democrats to handle the Affordable Care Act, they have more confidence in Republicans. Only 4 out of 10 people said yes.
A senior Senate Democratic aide said recent developments show the promise of the Affordable Care Act resonates strongly with Latino swing voters who supported President Biden in 2020 and are now willing to back Trump. pointed to a public opinion poll.
A 2020 election eve poll by Latino Decisions found health care costs to be the top issue among Latino voters. More than 90% of Latinos surveyed on the eve of the last presidential election said the government should ensure universal access to affordable health care.
Democrats plan to spotlight President Trump’s recent declaration that Republicans should not give up on their efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act as they battle unfavorable Senate battlegrounds in this year’s elections.
“Healthcare continues to be a challenge for many families. Having access to affordable health care services is absolutely critical, which is why former President Donald Trump spoke about repealing legislation that has helped hundreds of thousands of families across the country and in my state. should talk about it when they speak,” the Democratic senator’s campaign said. Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.), whose home state is a battleground state for the president and Senate.
He said the issue “will help the Biden administration sharply contrast where we’ve been and where we’re going with the previous president.”
President Trump pecked at the hornet’s nest last year by calling on Republican lawmakers to prepare for a further push to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“Obamacare’s costs are out of control, and furthermore, it’s not good health care. We’re seriously considering alternatives,” he posted on Truth Social in late November.
“We had several Republican senators who had been campaigning against it for six years and then raised their hands to keep it from repealing. It was a terrible outcome for Republicans, but we must never give up!” he declared.
President Trump’s efforts to repeal the law were narrowly missed in 2017 by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Sen. Murkowski, and the late Sen. John Johnson. John McCain (R-Ariz.) worked with Democrats to defeat the repeal bill.
The political makeup of the Senate could change significantly next year. Democrats are expected to lose the West Virginia seat long held by retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and face tough races in Montana and Ohio, states won by Trump in 2016. . 2020.
Now that Trump has completed the Republican nomination and appears to have a good chance of winning in November, his statements about what his policy priorities will be if elected are receiving more attention and scrutiny. are collecting.
An average of recent polls shows Biden leading in several key states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin.
But political handicappers see it as a good opportunity for Democrats to regain the House majority, which has been in turmoil since Republicans won the majority in 2022.
Senate Republicans do not believe President Trump is helping their political cause by bringing repeal of the Affordable Care Act back into the national conversation.
“Obamacare clearly has deliverables that need improvement, but Obamacare is part exchange and part individual policy option, so perhaps his advisers need to bring him to a different level of precision in this regard.” There will be,” he said. Senator Thom Tillis (RN.C.). “If you’re not careful with your words, someone will probably say they want to take away access to expanding health care.”
Biden capitalized on Trump’s comments during the State of the Union address.
“My predecessor and many others in this chamber want to eliminate prescription drugs by repealing the Affordable Care Act. We will not allow that to happen,” he declared. “We’ve stopped you 50 times and we won’t stop you again.”
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