10 things you need to know today: April 13, 2017

Trump threatens to cripple ObamaCare to force Democrats to negotiate, U.S. and Russian leaders say relations have hit a new low, and more

President Trump takes question at a press conference
(Image credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

1. Trump threatens to cripple ObamaCare to force Democrats to negotiate

President Trump on Wednesday threatened to hold up $7 billion in ObamaCare cost-sharing subsidies for low-income health insurance buyers to get Democrats to negotiate on health-care reform. Trump told The Wall Street Journal his administration might not have legal authority to make the payments, which reduce out-of-pocket costs for low-income ObamaCare participants, because the spending was not specifically authorized under the Affordable Care Act. "ObamaCare is dead next month if it doesn't get that money," Trump said. "What I think should happen and will happen is the Democrats will start calling me and negotiating." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called Trump's strategy "cynical," saying the president was "threatening to hold hostage health care for millions of Americans, many of whom voted for him."

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.