Some House Republicans are putting forth the appearance that they’ve recuperated after the American Health Care Act bill got pulled last week, and new reports indicate they’re giving it another go. The New York Times notes that White House and House GOP leaders met on Monday and Tuesday to discuss drafting a new bill that would repeal Obamacare.
The new talks are being headed up by House Speaker Paul Ryan, Republican House leaders, Donald Trump’s Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, and members of the Freedom Caucus and centrist organization the Tuesday Group. Talks of a reboot are surprising, as Ryan seemed pretty defeated after the bill was pulled and got roasted by Papa Roach in the process. Trump seemed eager to move onto something new. but he did tweet that he would make a deal with Democrats once Obamacare bites the dust.
The Republican House Freedom Caucus was able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. After so many bad years they were ready for a win!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2017
The Democrats will make a deal with me on healthcare as soon as ObamaCare folds – not long. Do not worry, we are in very good shape!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2017
Yet House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise said meetings are going smoothly and producing some results:
“After this morning, the resolve of our conference to repeal Obamacare and replace it has never been stronger. I do think it was important again to point out that the vast majority of our conference was already there in support of the bill that we want to put on President Trump’s desk.”
Additionally, Scalise said Democrats are prematurely celebrating the bill’s demise, and Obamacare is as close as ever to getting repealed. A lot must have happened between the bill getting pulled last Friday (when Trump admitted the bill was done) and Tuesday. Ryan didn’t provide a timeline or any details about the proposed new bill but indicated they might get moving quickly since insurers are mapping out premiums and health benefit packages for 2018:
“We have an aggressive agenda and we’ve been moving quickly on this aggressive agenda, but we want to make sure that we get it right. We had a very constructive meeting with our members. Some of those who were in the no camp expressed a willingness to work on getting to yes and to making this work.”
However, Talking Points Memo indicated that the meeting may have been an exploratory one to make sure everyone is on the same page. Taking baby steps may work in the GOP’s favor, as some Republican’s voiced concerns about the rushed nature of the Trumpcare bill.