Haley signals 2024 openness despite pledge to back Trump
Published on: Sep 18, 2018, 04:57:44 PM CDT
Updated on: Sep 19, 2018, 03:06:33 AM CDT
(CNN)After months of speculation, the 2020 re-election campaign of President Donald Trump has finally signed off on a plan for tax reform, but it doesn’t appear to include a major overhaul of the US healthcare system.
Key members of the administration — including Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Tom Price, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Defense Secretary James Mattis — appeared to put the kibosh on a tax reduction plan that Mr. Trump promised in his 2016 presidential campaign.
But that’s not the only major sticking point. A major stumbling block — one that could doom the White House’s healthcare proposal — is the fate of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
“Congressional Republicans will soon be working to pass health insurance reform,” Mr. Trump tweeted early Friday morning after signing the tax reform plan. “They will be working hard to do it while taking care of our PANDERING VIRUSES.”
Democrats will be “taking care of our VIRUSES and protecting our VIRUSES,” Mr. Trump tweeted later Friday.
President Donald Trump signing a tax reform bill in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, July 29, 2017.
Trump, speaking at the White House, said “we won the battle” over the GOP’s health care bill, but warned that the party needs to come together “over time to take care of our VIRUSES.”
“The fight is just beginning,” he said.
Republicans have been battling for weeks over the fate of the GOP’s attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The GOP bill will provide insurance to millions of uninsured Americans while also repealing much of the ACA.
After weeks of hearings and negotiations, Republicans were optimistic when the Senate passed the bill last Friday evening. But their hopes were dashed when the House of Representatives voted to repeal the ACA — with only 217 Republicans supporting the bill, and just 218 Republicans opposing the bill.
The Senate now has more time to amend the bill before it is sent to the President for his signature. The Senate had until October 13 to vote on amendments; the House had until October 17.
