Progressive One

Republican repeal of Obamacare implodes
Trump agrees to stop vote on House bill amid GOP opposition
THE HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS, led by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), center, said the GOP bill didn’t dismantle enough of Obamacare; they pushed for letting insurers offer cheaper plans with less coverage. (J. Scott Applewhite Associated Press)
By Lisa Mascaro and Noam N. Levey reporting from washington
President Trump, elected on a promise to use his deal-making prowess to get Washington working, blinked Friday in the face of defeat, agreeing to halt a House vote on a GOP healthcare overhaul amid crumbling Republican support.
The move came just hours after the White House insisted the vote would go forward regardless of the outcome, and followed Trump’s extraordinary ultimatum Thursday night, when he told rebellious lawmakers that if they didn’t vote for the bill, he would move on to other priorities.
To avoid an embarrassing vote, Trump asked House Speaker Paul D. Ryan to abandon the effort.
The collapse of the bill — legislation that managed to displease both Republican conservatives and centrists — dashed the party’s immediate hopes of fulfilling a longtime campaign promise to repeal and replace President Obama’s signature healthcare law, also called Obamacare.
Trump made a hard, last-minute push for the GOP bill. His spokesman said Friday that the president “left everything on the field.”
In an Oval Office appearance after the vote was canceled, Trump described it as a “very interesting experience.” He praised his fellow Republicans and deflected blame onto Democrats — who opposed the bill. He also said he’d learned something about “loyalty,” apparently referring to the GOP defections.
Trump predicted the country would eventually need to revisit the issue, saying, “We will end up with a truly great healthcare bill in the future after this mess that is Obamacare explodes.”
Both Trump and Ryan, however, said the Republican Party had no plan to revive the repeal-and-replace effort anytime soon, so the current healthcare law will remain in place.
The defeat exposed Trump’s limits as negotiator in chief and raised doubts about his administration’s ability to achieve the rest of its conservative agenda, including tax cuts, deregulation and trade reform.
The fallout was also a setback for Ryan. Critics say the legislation was crafted too quickly and without enough input from other lawmakers or consultation with industry and interest groups.
“Hopefully there will be a lesson learned that let’s work together to write the bill instead of writing it in private,” said Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas).
The failure will only complicate the odd-couple partnership between Ryan and Trump. The president may think twice next time about relying on the speaker to lead legislative campaigns. Though Trump signaled his continued support Friday for Ryan to remain in his post, and many lawmakers were standing by his side, finger-pointing over what went wrong is bound to linger.
Ryan could have afforded to lose no more than about 21 Republican votes to reach the 216 needed for passage. Defections were estimated at one point to be 30 or more.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus wanted Trump and Ryan to go further and faster in unwinding Obamacare rules and taxes. Centrist Republicans were worried the GOP plan would leave too many Americans without health insurance.
“Moving from an opposition party to a governing party comes with growing pains and, well, we’re feeling those growing pains today,” Ryan said. “We came up short.”
The GOP defeat marked a victory for a broad coalition of patient advocates, physician groups and hospitals, which had mounted an intense and sustained campaign to highlight the damage they said the bill would do to patients’ medical care.
Congressional offices reported a huge influx of calls urging a “no” vote on the bill.
“This is a clear statement that the policies in the bill were fatally flawed and should never again see the light of day,” said Robert Doherty, senior vice president of the American College of Physicians.
It remains unclear what political price Republicans may pay for their failure to advance a repeal bill despite controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress. Many GOP activists will be angry if the party abruptly drops an issue it has campaigned on for years.
At the same time, public support for Obamacare has been rising amid the threat to repeal it, and opinion polls showed strong concern over the GOP plan.
The turmoil over the bill also served as a reminder of the GOP’s ongoing internal strife, which can allow small groups of rank-and-file Republicans to determine the party’s direction.
“There’s bitterness within our conference,” said Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.). “It’s going to take time to heal.”
Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) said he hoped the defeat would eventually bring the party closer together.
“This is a tough situation for us to handle right now; there’s no question it’s a loss for leadership,” he said. “Sometimes these things, if you give them time to marinate, we’ll have an opportunity to bring us back together, and regroup, and get our mojo again.”
Democrats stood firmly against the Republican bill, which GOP leaders had hoped to pass on Obamacare’s seventh anniversary this week. Democrats warned of the harm to ordinary Americans — many in areas Trump won — who would lose access to healthcare.
Under the Republican plan, about 24 million more Americans would be expected to join the ranks of the uninsured during the first decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who helped Obama pass the Affordable Care Act, called the failure of the Republican effort a “victory for the American people.”
The House bill would have dramatically scaled back the healthcare safety net that Obamacare expanded, slashing federal spending and removing key coverage guarantees.
It would have effectively reversed the insurance coverage gains that the country has notched over the last several years, and doubled the number of uninsured by 2026.
States would have lost nearly $900 billion in federal funding for their Medicaid health insurance programs for the poor.
As the bill approached a final vote, opposition grew. GOP leaders were forced to abandon a Thursday vote after conservatives, led by the House Freedom Caucus, argued the bill did not go far enough in gutting Obamacare — particularly its mandates that health policies provide specific benefits. They wanted insurers to be allowed to offer skimpier plans that cost less.
Meanwhile, centrist Republicans worried the bill would have left too many constituents without healthcare.
Trump’s inability to close the deal with the holdouts exposed his newness to the legislative process and his slim hold on the deeper policy nuances needed to bring lawmakers to his side.
The president largely played the role of a bustling figurehead — inviting lawmakers to the White House, trying to win their support — rather than an in-the-weeds horse-trader able to round up votes.
For example, Friday morning Trump tweeted criticism of the Freedom Caucus for not taking the deal even though it would have cut funds for Planned Parenthood. But abortion, in this case, wasn’t driving their opposition.
For a while, negotiations with the rebellious factions were relatively congenial. But that changed late Thursday after Trump’s budget chief told House Republicans during a private meeting in the Capitol basement that the president was “done negotiating” and expected lawmakers to fulfill their campaign promises to end Obamacare, according to those in the room.
The dramatic moment startled Republicans — and cut both ways.
Some lawmakers who panned the bill left the meeting frustrated by Trump’s tough talk, while others became emotional — “there were tears,” said Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) — over their moment to achieve their longtime goal of ending Obamacare.
“I wish you could have seen the passion in that room,” said Republican Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.).
lisa.mascaro @latimes.com
Twitter: @LisaMascaro
noam.levey@latimes.com
Twitter: @noamleveyTimes staff writers Brian Bennett and Michael A. Memoli contributed to this report.

Loki Loc: Georgia

The elderly will pay more and the poor will get screwed with the current Obamacare system. In case you haven't looked, (Who am I kidding; of COURSE you haven't looked,) Obamacare is collapsing all over the country, as it costs far more and delivers far less than was promised. The Ryan Bill was nothing but a watered down version of the ACA. (Of course, since Ryan is a watered down Republican, that's not surprising.) Your constant harping on "the rich" is becoming annoying. In this, as in most things, you have no idea what you are talking about. When you are truly rich, only a small portion of your income is taxable anyway, with the bulk being squirreled away in tax shelters, much like Obama uses. Many of these shelters were put in place by a Democrat majority, to take care of the deep pocketed supporters that keep them in DC. In all fairness, the Republicans are no better. Neither party will make any meaningful changes that will make "the rich" pay more. They would be cutting their own throats career-wise if they did.
Now, as far as the name-calling; You do far more of it than I do, yet you wish me to desist. Had you not called me inbred trailer trash, white boy, Pinkster,crackuh, and Muthafuka FIRST, I would not have called you a stupid ass nigger, a Ghetto Possum, and a talking chimp. You begin something, when it comes back on you you try to act like you are the victim. Your constant braggadocio is amusing most times, annoying at others, and not credible at any time.
As soon as you become a little annoyed, the facade of academia and urbanity disappears like a wisp of smoke, and your true self begins showing. It amuses me to rub your nose in it every now and again. You are so transparent, how do you manage to pass as black?

Raylan Wolfe Loc: earth

And lupi prove she is exactly that, once again!

24 Million people would lose healthcare under Trumpcare, most of those would be the elderly!

http://citizensvoice.com/opinion/millions-of-people-will-lose-under-trumpcare-1.2170204

Loki Loc: Georgia

Rayon, no one cares what sort of crap you post from left wing rags no one has ever heard of.

Progressive One

you can't tell them anything...starting with the OrangeDude.....the CBO already said the exact same thing you posted...but like the employment numbers....the same thing that was fake In December was real in February . saw a clip, don't know if it was for SNL or not...but it was Pres. Obama who said....."I may go down as the worse President ever but I won't go down as a President".....wow..........

Raylan Wolfe Loc: earth

"Trump is quickly proving to be a "biglier" fool, than those who voted for him." RW

Progressive One

Man I always used to say that money is not a replacement for intelligence when I used to see young cats making money from their hustle or whatever, get a few trinkets..the kind ao brags about......and still be fools......trump is the poster child for what happens when someone with a bigoted and a fool's mentality gets their hands on money.......as we used to say, he has "props" but he is still a damn fool.............

Raylan Wolfe Loc: earth

And!

GOP Cave on Obamacare repeal is the biggest broken promise in political history!

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/gop-cave-on-obamacare-repeal-is-the-biggest-broken-promise-in-political-history/article/2618413

And there is still the wall that will never come to fruition! The hopes and dreams of the right are quickly turning in favor of the left!

Progressive One

Hey Wolfe....don't forget my little "friend" the Muslim Ban.....got the bigots frothing at the mouth to get them to come out of the sticks and vote.....and now will tell them fk you, you've served your purpose...now go away................

Progressive One

Virginia-Birthplace of the Confederacy..........

Federal ruling backs Trump’s travel ban
Virginia judge rejects a request to halt the executive order, but the temporary block nationwide remains.
VIRGINIA Atty. Gen. Mark Herring, center, at a town hall on the travel ban, which a judge ruled probably “falls within the bounds” of presidential authority. (Win McNamee Getty Images)
By Jaweed Kaleem
Unlike federal jurists before him, a judge in Virginia on Friday ruled in favor of President Trump’s revised travel ban in a case brought by Muslims who said the president’s executive order illegally discriminated against their religion by restricting travel from six majority-Muslim countries.
U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga of the Eastern District Court of Virginia in Alexandria wrote that the plaintiffs, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and other Muslim community leaders from across the country, probably would not prevail in their suit.
Trenga said the travel ban probably “falls within the bounds” of Trump’s authority as president, and he rejected a request to halt the order.
Trenga’s ruling doesn’t have an immediate effect on the ban, which was put on hold by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland last week. But it gives ammunition to government lawyers arguing for the ban across several U.S. courts where cases against it are pending.
The Hawaii and Maryland rulings agreed with arguments that the travel ban violated the Constitution by discriminating against Muslims. The judges cited statements by Trump and his campaign associates about restricting Muslim travel to the U.S. as evidence of their intent to single out followers of Islam.
Trenga’s opinion gave less weight to Trump’s statements. It more strictly looked at how the travel ban is worded in light of presidential power over immigration and national security.
The judge highlighted the changes made to narrow the scope of the travel ban after an initial version of the order was struck down by federal courts. Changes in the new version included omitting Iraq from the list of countries whose travelers would be blocked and removing preferential treatment of refugees who were religious minorities.
The Department of Justice, which is defending the Trump administration in court, hailed Trenga’s move.
“The Department of Justice is pleased with the ruling,” department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement. “As the Court correctly explains, the president’s executive order falls well within his authority to safeguard the nation’s security.”
The original travel ban, signed Jan. 27, was halted by federal district courts and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The new ban, signed March 6 and scheduled to go into effect March 16, was modified in an attempt to pass court muster.
The Maryland ruling stopped the revised executive order’s 90-day ban on travel into the U.S. by citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
The Hawaii ruling went a step further by also blocking a 120-day pause on refugee resettlement from any country. It also blocked the government’s attempt to cap refugee resettlement and the compiling of a series of government studies and reports on how refugees and foreign visitors to the U.S. are vetted.
Those rulings, as well as the one Friday in Virginia, are not final but temporary decisions on the travel ban as the cases over its constitutionality proceed.
The Department of Justice has appealed the Maryland decision to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals but has not appealed the Hawaii case.
Trump has said he wants to take arguments over the travel ban to the Supreme Court.
jaweed.kaleem @latimes.com

JFlorio Loc: Seminole Florida

When it's all said and done Trump will get his travel ban. Another ck in the loser column for you guys. Guess you're used to it.

Loki Loc: Georgia

The CBO also predicted that millions more people would sign up for Obamacare than actually did it.

Raylan Wolfe Loc: earth

And the fact is that everyone here on OPP knows that lupi, just told a bald faced lie! She should ashamed of herself!

Loki Loc: Georgia

Go change your tampon, Rayon. You should see an ob/gyn. Your "monthly visitor" doesn't want to leave.

Bevos

YOU are the one that CLAIMED that you never respond to US!! THAT is what I called you out on. I said I don't respond to your LOOOONNNGGG, USELESS, IDIOTIC RANTS!!! Except even that is wrong. I read two paragraphs of one this morning, each being two sentences long, and THAT was all I read of it. Then I responded to that. Did not bother to read the rest!! BIG waste of my time!!!