Without some changes along the line, it seems likely that the Republican House's attempt at replacing the Affordable Care Act is going nowhere fast. And that's before the Senate's even finished its turn at writing a bill for the American Health Care Act.
At a White House lunch with 15 GOP senators, the president called the bill "mean" and said the Senate needs to put together a bill that is "more generous." That's according to an Associated Press report which cites two anonymous GOP congressional sources with knowledge of what went on in the closed-door meeting. Their description of the wording used by Trump varies, but not the sense.
The criticism was a surprise to the senators after Trump had praised the bill in a celebratory Rose Garden ceremony after its passage on May 4, calling it "a great plan." But on May 28, despite his earlier praise for the House bill, Trump tweeted, "I suggest that we add more dollars to Healthcare and make it the best anywhere. ObamaCare is dead—the Republicans will do much better!"
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This latest criticism of the bill does not bode well for Senate efforts, since work on the Senate bill has slowed over disputes about additional restrictions supported by conservative Republicans and opposed by GOP moderates who are pushing back. Among the restrictions under discussion are cutting Medicaid for the poor and limiting the services insurers are required to provide.
With all Democrats opposed to the bill, the only chance of passage in the Senate is if any more than three of the 52 Republican senators vote no. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had hoped to bring the measure to a vote prior to the July 4 congressional recess, but if Trump opposes it, that could derail those plans.
The report says the two sources' descriptions of Trump's words were slightly different, with one saying he called the House bill "mean, mean, mean," adding, "We need to be more generous, more kind" and the other source saying that Trump described the House bill with a vulgarity and informed senators, "We need to be more generous."
In the report, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-MD, is quoted saying, "Americans won't forget that @HouseGOP passed a 'mean' bill to rip healthcare from millions then celebrated @ the WH."
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