Republicans Promise To Tackle Repeal And Replace By End Of March
Congressional Republicans are meeting with the president in Philadelphia to discuss plans to dismantle the health law. They've set an aggressive timetable, after admitting they're going to miss the previous one -- Jan. 27 -- that they for themselves.
The Associated Press:
Congressional Republicans Sketch Ambitious Agenda
Congressional Republicans laid plans Wednesday to act on a health care repeal bill by the end of March and rewrite the tax code by August as they sketched out an ambitious agenda for their first 200 days under President Donald Trump. Meeting in Philadelphia for their annual policy retreat, they also discussed action to raise the nation's borrowing limit, write an infrastructure package sought by Trump and push funding for defense and border priorities. (1/25)
The Washington Post:
Republicans Set Aggressive Agenda On Health Care, Regulations And Tax Reform
In an afternoon session at an annual GOP policy retreat, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) unveiled plans that put repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act as the first order of business, with the target date for action within the next three months. Lawmakers also plan to move quickly on a broad rewrite of the tax code that is expected to include deep cuts in tax rates. The agenda sets a vigorous pace in an attempt to make good on key campaign promises made by President Trump. (Snell and DeBonis, 1/25)
The Wall Street Journal:
GOP Acknowledges It Won’t Meet Self-Imposed Deadline To Repeal Obamacare
Two days before Republicans’ self-imposed deadline for producing legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, GOP lawmakers acknowledged they were unlikely to meet it. Both the GOP-controlled House and Senate passed budgets this month requiring four committees to deliver proposals by Jan. 27 to roll back major tenets of the 2010 health-care law. (Peterson, 1/25)
Reuters:
Health Insurers Quietly Shape Obamacare Replacement With Fewer Risks
U.S. health insurers are making their case to Republican lawmakers over how Americans sign up for individual insurance and pushing for other changes to shape the replacement of former President Barack Obama's national healthcare law. The health insurers, including Independence Blue Cross and Molina Healthcare Inc, are also recommending ways to put more control over insurance in the hands of states as the federal oversight of Obamacare is dismantled. They emphasize that it is crucial to keep government subsidies for low income people. (Humer, 1/25)
In other national health care news —
Politico:
Trump’s Flashy Executive Actions Could Run Aground
President Donald Trump’s team made little effort to consult with federal agency lawyers or lawmakers as they churned out executive actions this week, stoking fears the White House is creating the appearance of real momentum with flawed orders that might be unworkable, unenforceable or even illegal. ... Just a small circle of officials at the Department of Health and Human Services knew about the executive action starting to unwind Obamacare, and they got a heads-up only the night before it was released. Key members of Congress weren’t consulted either, according to several members. And at a conference in Philadelphia, GOP legislators say they had no idea whether some of the executive orders would contrast with existing laws — because they hadn't reviewed them. (Arnsdorf, Dawsey and Kim, 1/25)
The Wall Street Journal:
Opponents Say Trump’s ‘Mexico City’ Abortion Policy Could Have Broader Reach
Opponents of the so-called Mexico City policy that prevents foreign aid organizations from receiving U.S. funds if they provide or offer information about abortions say the directive President Donald Trump issued this week could affect 15 times more funding than the policy did under previous Republican presidents. Previous versions of the rule applied to family planning programs funded by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which comprise roughly $600 million in spending. (Schwartz, 1/25)
USA Today:
Congress To Challenge Gun Ban For Some Mentally Impaired
As part of an effort to roll back Obama-era regulations, Congress is expected to take up legislation as early as next week that would prevent the government from declaring some Social Security recipients unfit to own guns after they’ve been deemed mentally incapable of managing their financial affairs. (Gaudiano, 1/25)
The Associated Press:
Trump Intends To Announce His Supreme Court Pick On Feb. 2
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he intends to announce his nominee for the Supreme Court on Feb. 2, and three federal appeals court judges are said to be the front-runners to fill the lifetime seat held by the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative icon. The leading contenders, who have met with Trump, are William Pryor, Neil Gorsuch and Thomas Hardiman, according to a person familiar with the process who was not authorized to speak publicly about internal decisions and discussed the search on condition of anonymity. (1/25)