Trump’s new dumb idea is to woo Senate Republicans into supporting his bill by using numbers from conservative groups to dispute the CBO finding that 22 million people will lose their coverage under Trumpcare.
The Washington Post reported, “When Trump returns from Europe, he plans to counter the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the legislation — which shows that 22 million fewer people would have insurance coverage by 2026 than under the current law — with figures and analyses from conservative groups and Republicans that show more benefits and less disruption, should the bill pass, according to a White House official familiar with the strategy.”
The White House plan assumes that the Republicans who aren’t supporting the bill are as a dumb as their president. Senate Republicans who are opposing the bill aren’t doing on the basis of a CBO score alone. It is also a matter of common sense and basic math. The Senate bill takes roughly a trillion dollars out of health care and gives to the wealthy in the form of tax cuts. People are going to lose their coverage under this plan.
It doesn’t matter what kind of funny math Trump and his allies come up with, the bill cuts Medicaid and takes coverage away from tens of millions of people. It is probably not the CBO number that has GOP Senators worried, but the dismal approval ratings for this legislation. Senate Republicans could overlook a lot the bill’s problems, but the fact that it is nearly universally despised is tough to get around.
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Trump and McConnell can cook the numbers all they want, but they can’t make this legislation more popular. The plan to create an alternate statistical reality is stupid, and it shows just how desperate this White House has become.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
