The Trump administration pitches its health care proposal as killing fewer trees than ObamaCare

The size of the Affordable Care Act and its GOP replacement are compared at a press conference.

(Image credit: Screenshot/White House livestream)

By Jeva Lange

published 7 March 2017

President Trump loves to show off piles of paper.

Exhibit A:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

This time, Trump's point wasn't about how much paper he used, but rather how little. "As you'll see, this [ObamaCare] bill right here was the bill that was introduced in 2009 and '10 by the previous administration," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. "Notice how thick that is. Some of you will recall that I actually turned the pages and went through that piece of legislation in a YouTube."

Explore More

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox