Senate Makes First Move Toward ACA Repeal; Obama Huddles With Democrats On Strategy To Save Health Law
And Vice President-elect Mike Pence meets with GOP lawmakers to discuss the best way to dismantle Obamacare. These separate strategy sessions take place on the second day of the new Congress. On Day One, Senate Budget Committee Chair Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., introduced a budget resolution that will serve as a vehicle for taking apart much of the statute.
The Associated Press:
Obama, Pence To Capitol As Health Care Overhaul Fight Begins
While they can hardly prevent the GOP repeal effort from proceeding, the president and House and Senate Democrats were meeting Wednesday to discuss how to best defend a law that's extended health insurance coverage to 20 million Americans and which Obama considers one of the proudest pillars of his legacy. "The more the people understand what's included in the Affordable Care Act and how they benefit from it, the more popular the program is, and the harder it is for Republicans to have political support for tearing it down," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Tuesday, using the law's formal name. (Fram, 1/4)
The Washington Post:
Obama To Huddle With Democrats On Protecting His Signature Health Care Law
President Obama will meet behind closed doors Wednesday morning with congressional Democrats to map out a strategy to defend the Affordable Care Act and other health care policies — the very day Republicans will begin debate on getting rid of the sweeping 2010 health-care law. Obama’s rare visit to Capitol Hill, 2 ½ weeks before Donald Trump assumes the presidency, marks the start of his administration’s final push to defend its achievements before handing over the reins of power in Washington. Next week, Obama will deliver his farewell address in his adopted hometown of Chicago. (Eilperin and Goldstein, 1/4)
Politico:
Desperate Democrats Scramble For An Obamacare Strategy
Democrats don’t have the votes to stop Republicans from gutting Obamacare. So as they watch their signature domestic policy accomplishment about to be dismantled, they’re looking to the ground game that helped pass it seven years ago. They're holding rallies in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, featuring the stories of some of the red-state Americans who have benefited from the law. They’re urging followers to bombard lawmakers’ district offices and phone lines with calls against repeal. And they’re targeting moderate Republicans in Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Nevada and Tennessee who are up for reelection in 2018 — or who could be influential in the repeal vote — with a seven-figure television and print ad campaign. (Haberkorn and Pradhan, 1/4)
The Wall Street Journal:
Senate Moves To Dismantle Health Law
The Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday took its first step toward dismantling the 2010 Affordable Care Act, using its initial day in office to introduce a measure that sets an aggressive timeline for developing plans to repeal much of President Barack Obama’s signature health law. (Hughes and Peterson, 1/3)
Reuters:
U.S. Republican Senator Introduces Obamacare Repeal Resolution
Republican U.S. Senator Mike Enzi introduced on Tuesday a resolution allowing for the repeal of President Barack Obama's signature health insurance program, which provides coverage to millions of Americans, Enzi's office said in a statement. The move by the Senate's budget committee chairman on the first day of the new Congress set in motion the Republican majority's promise to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, as its first major legislative item. (Cornwell, 1/3)
Vox:
Senate Republicans Just Introduced An Obamacare Repeal Plan Democrats Can’t Stop
Senate Budget Committee Chair Michael Enzi (R-WY) introduced a budget resolution Tuesday that includes "reconciliation instructions" that enable Congress to repeal Obamacare with a simple Senate majority. Passing a budget resolution that includes those instructions will mean that the legislation can pass through the budget reconciliation process, in which bills cannot be filibustered. That means Republicans will only need 50 of their 52 members in the Senate, and a bare majority in the House, to pass legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act. According to the Wall Street Journal, the budget resolution could be passed by both houses as early as next week. (Matthews, 1/3)
Bloomberg:
Trump's Efforts To Undo Obamacare Will Be An Early Lesson In The Pace Of Congress
Donald Trump promised voters an immediate repeal of Obamacare, but Republicans in Congress likely won’t have a bill ready for him on Day One. Or Day Two. Or perhaps even his first two weeks. Republican leaders will start deploying fast-track procedures Wednesday to get the bill through the Senate, but that will require weeks of wrangling, if not longer. It’ll be an early lesson for Trump in the sometimes-glacial pace of Congress. And it’s likely to get more difficult from here, as the incoming president moves on to other areas where Republicans aren’t in such lockstep, such as infrastructure spending, where he might need bipartisan support. (Dennis, 1/4)
Kaiser Health News:
Vowing To Jettison Obamacare, Republicans Face Immediate Resistance And Risks
The 115th Congress started work Tuesday with Republican majorities in both the House and Senate in agreement on their top priority — to repeal and replace the 2010 health law, the Affordable Care Act. “The Obamacare experience has proven it’s a failure,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters at an opening day news conference. But that may be where the agreement among Republicans ends. Nearly seven years after its passage, Republicans still have no consensus on how to repeal and replace the measure. (Rovner, 1/3)
And for the California legislature —