Ex-House Speaker Paul Ryan once conceded that ObamaCare is the "law of the land," and it seems his successor is sticking to it.
President Trump has launched a renewed takedown of the Affordable Care Act, with his Justice Department moving to strike down the entire law on Monday. The decision seemingly came out of nowhere, leaving even House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) calling Trump to tell him "the decision made no sense," Axios reports.
As McCarthy reportedly explained to Trump, even a unified GOP Congress couldn't repeal the health care law when it tried in 2017. The move is especially shocking because on Sunday, Trump got "great" news out of the Mueller report, but now he "stepped all over it ... with the ObamaCare lawsuit announcement," a senior GOP aide told Axios.
Several GOP senators also told Axios they were "surprised" with how much time Trump spent on health care at a Tuesday lunch, with Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) conceding that Trump was "clearly very passionate about it." Yet Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) came right out and told CNN she was "very disappointed in and vehemently opposed" to the DOJ's decision.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, is trying to tack a measure protecting the ACA to a disaster aid bill being discussed Wednesday in the Senate, Politico reports. Judging by how centrist Republicans like Collins have already reacted to Trump's push, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) seems unlikely to let that happen.