What Tom Price's bobbing and weaving reveals about Trump's health care plan

When a nominee refuses to answer a simple question, it's probably because the real answer is going to be very unpopular

Tom Price expertly avoided the most controversial topics.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Confirmation hearings almost never produce the bombshell moment we sometimes seem to be expecting. Nevertheless, they can still be illuminating if you pay close enough attention, even when the nominees bob and weave to try to avoid saying anything controversial or contradicting their future boss. The latter is particularly difficult for Donald Trump's picks to head Cabinet departments, since the positions he takes change from day to day, and in some cases are in direct opposition to what Republicans plan to do.

So when Tom Price began his confirmation hearings on Wednesday to be secretary of health and human services, he probably knew he was going to get some questions that wouldn't be easy to answer. Price is a smooth politician and so he didn't get flustered, but he did offer a demonstration of what kinds of questions Republicans are nervous about when it comes to health care, particularly their plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.