Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) admitted at a town hall Wednesday evening that the real reason Republicans weren't poised and ready to roll out a health-care plan is because they didn't think they would actually win the White House. "Look, I didn't expect Donald Trump to win, I think most of my colleagues didn't, so we didn't expect to be in this situation," Toomey said.
President Trump's unexpected win last November caught Republicans without even a blueprint in hand for how to pass legislation. In contrast, "eight years ago, Democrats had been planning for months for the possibility of full control of Congress and the White House" and had already "held meetings with key health-care industry stakeholders about early thoughts on what would become the Affordable Care Act," The Washington Post reported.
Toomey didn't try to deflect blame from Republicans, instead owning up to the fact that his party wasn't as prepared as it should've been. "I think that's a valid criticism," Toomey said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Read The Washington Post's full analysis here.
-
Texas declares end to measles outbreakSpeed Read The vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada
-
RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agencySpeed Read The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year highSpeed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, changeSpeed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panelspeed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kidsSpeed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sickspeed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last yearspeed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
