A reporter asked Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) if she was going to the White House for a health care meeting with Trump. Collins said that she wasn’t invited and Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) cracked up laughing.
Paul McLeod of Buzzfeed News tweeted the exchange:
Swing votes not going to White House tonight. We just asked Sen. Collins. She said "I'm not invited." Al Franken, walking by, cracks up.
— Paul McLeod (@pdmcleod) July 17, 2017
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It appears that the White House effort to woo Republican Senators on the health care bill does not include any of the swing votes that they need to pass the healthcare bill:
Not going to tonight's White House health care meeting: Key undecideds Portman, Capito, Lee, Gardner, Flake, and others
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) July 17, 2017
Only Trump and McConnell would put together a meeting at the White House on healthcare and not invite the people whose votes they will have to have to pass the bill. The White House might be planning a series of meetings, but Trump’s involvement in the process is not a good omen for the future of the legislation.
Al Franken had a good reason to be laughing. By shunning the Senators that they need, Trump and his White House are showing that they have no idea what they are doing.
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
