Watching the renegade Freedom Caucus hit House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) Obamacare replacement bill with a wrecking ball, 70-year-old President Donald Trump threw and olive branch to House and Senate Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) expressed interest in working with Trump to fashion bipartisan health care legislation to either fix Obamacare or fashion a suitable replacement. There’s nothing suitable about what the Freedom Caucus wants, essentially gutting Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, responsible for providing health care to millions of poor citizens. When Ryan pulled the GOP’s Obamacare replacement Friday, March 24, Trump essentially told the Freedom Caucus either back the bill or live with Obamacare. Showing his stubborn side, Freedom Caucus chief Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) told the White House no-deal.
Meadows and former Freedom Caucus chief Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) couldn’t fathom the fact that Ryan’s Obamacare replacement was another government entitlement, something unavoidable when you consider the costs of providing health care to uninsured U.S. citizens. Meadows and Jordan can’t stomach the fact that however you slice the Obamacare replacement, it’s still an entitlement program. “You can have your principles and then when it comes to voting, you have to compromise to get something passed,” said Rep. Ted Poe (R-Tx.), handing Meadows his Freedom Caucus resignation. Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) blamed the bill’s failure on bad leadership. “From some in leadership who said that some of us should not even exist up here. We need to be on a team and get a good product,” said Brat, referring to a bill that essentially ends health care entitlements under Obamacare.
Freedom Caucus members don’t get, or accept, that any government-sponsored health bill involves subsidies, running afoul with the Freedom Caucus basic ideology: No government entitlements. Ryan needs to put the Freedom Caucus on notice that they can’t throw a monkey wrench into House operations without consequences. “It [Freedom Caucus] will continue to be an opposition party in the party,” said Poe. “We cannot be effective if we continue to vote no,” showing why he quit the Freedom Caucus. Less than 16% of the GOP house, the Freedom Caucus commands too much clout. Whether admitted to or not, the Freedom Causus wants no part of bipartisan legislation to replace Obamacare. Trump’s decision to talk with Schumer shows that he’s given up on the Freedom Caucus, too extreme to govern. Nixing Ryan’s bill, the Freedom Caucus actually did Trump a favor.
Unlike Obamacare that former President Barack Obama, House and Senate Democrats railroaded to passage, any new health care legislation must find common ground with both parties. Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), have shown no interest in partnering with Trump. Now that Trump knows he can’t get an Obamacare replacement bill through House Republicans, he’s better off trying to fix Obamacare, rather than scrap a well-intentioned attempt to provide government-subsidized health insurance to U.S. citizens. Coming up with an Obamacare fix would require both sides to compromise. Trump’s called Obamacare a disaster because of rising premiums and deductibles. Working together, Republicans and Democrats could fashion appropriate price controls to prevent insurers from taking advantage of government subsidies.
Unlike the junked GOP plan, Obamacare offers income-based subsidies to pay for health insurance to financially strapped subscribers. Reducing the Medicaid ranks upends the purpose of providing insurance to millions of U.S. citizens. Trump didn’t realize that the vociferous Freedom Caucus wasn’t looking for compromise but to impose its will on mainstream Republicans. Before Ryan became House Speaker Oct. 29, 2015, he was part of the once rambunctious Tea Party, the now defunct faction preceding the Freedom Caucus. Ryan blasted onto the national political scene when former GOP nominee Mass. Gov. Mitt Romey made him his VP Aug. 12, 2012. Ryan came in like gangbusters, promising to slash Social Security and Medicare, attesting to his past Tea Party zealotry. Romney had to muzzle Ryan’s Tea Party views before it sunk hi presidential campaign.
Reaching out to Shumer, Trump showed a willingness to look beyond campaign rhetoric and find real fixes to Obamacare. “I don’t think the president is closing the door on anything,” said White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. Schumer urged Trump to work on fixing Obamacare, not replacing it. Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows offered some conciliatory regret, admitting he was “self-reflecting” on what went wrong. Meadows, and other Freedom Caucus members, realized they made a bad situation worse, opposing Ryan’s bill. Schumer encouraged Trump to switch gears, working with him to fix what’s wrong with Obamacare. Trump won’t get anything done on health care unless he plays ball with Democrats, stop listening to Republicans trying to toss millions off of Medicaid. Trump calls Obamacare a disaster because of runaway prices: That could be easily fixed with price controls.
