| | | | GOP faces a conservative vs. moderate divide on Medicaid | | A new divide is revealing just how tough a task President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan face in lining up both conservatives and moderates behind their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act -- and what a precarious spot it could leave the GOP in headed into the 2018 midterms.
New tonight: The White House is beginning to push House Republican leadership to incorporate more conservative principles -- particularly an amendment by Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, that's endorsed by the Republican Study Committee, to stop new enrollments in 2018 rather than 2020 in states that expanded Medicaid.
Why that's politically perilous: Gaining conservatives could mean losing moderates in the House. One moderate Republican told CNN's Tom LoBianco he knew of four other Republicans who would switch from "yes" to "no" if the bill ended the Medicaid expansion in 2017. And if the altered version passed the House, it would face even dimmer chances than it already does in the Senate, where a sizable bloc of senators from states that expanded Medicaid are pushing the White House and the House to go in the opposite direction.
A senior GOP aide told CNN's Phil Mattingly, of the White House: "They can be very helpful in this process, but this isn't the way. And they know that -- or at least they should."
Then there are the 2018 midterms. If Republicans block new Medicaid enrollments before people vote, Democrats would campaign on Trump and the GOP causing people to lose coverage -- even more aggressively than they already will. | | "It is an affirmation of the President's decision to ask Gen. Flynn to resign." -- President Mike Pence, sticking the dagger in Mike Flynn on "Fox News" amid reports that Flynn lobbied for Turkey after the election. | | | | House Speaker Paul Ryan spent the first half of his press conference explaining the House GOP health care bill -- sleeves rolled up as he went through a PowerPoint slideshow. More from CNN's Brenna Williams on Ryan's casual look. | | New EPA chief doesn't believe climate science | | From CNN's Eugene Scott: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said today he does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming -- a stance at odds with leading climate scientists. Pruitt made the comment to CNBC's Joe Kernen when he was asked if he believes that carbon dioxide "is the primary control knob for climate."
"I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see," he said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "But we don't know that yet," he added. "We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis." | | | #ThrowBackThursday: Jeannette Rankin was not only the first woman elected to Congress, but she was also the only member of Congress to vote against entering both WWI and WWII. More from CNN's Brenna Williams' #TBT series that highlights female politicians who broke glass ceilings. | | 7 things you might have missed today | | Hatch will run again: Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, 82, the longest-serving GOP senator, told CNN he is planning to run for re-election next year, abandoning his plans to quit the chamber after four decades of service. More from CNN's Manu Raju.
Schwarzenegger for Senate? That's the buzz in California. He could take on Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who will be 85 when she's up for re-election next year. Politico's Carla Marinucci has the story.
'Odd' computer link: Federal investigators and computer scientists continue to examine whether there was a computer server connection between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank, sources close to the investigation tell CNN.
Washington AG Bob Ferguson challenges travel ban: Washington state will ask a federal judge to block President Donald Trump's new travel ban, joining Hawaii as the second state to challenge the executive order. From CNN's Laura Jarrett.
Tillerson recuses himself on Keystone: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has recused himself from application decisions on the Keystone XL pipeline amid pressure from some environmental groups over his tenure as ExxonMobil head.
EPA veteran quits: An Environmental Protection Agency veteran resigned after more than 20 years at the department amid concerns about the Trump administration's approach to addressing environmental issues impacting underserved communities. "I have priorities in supporting vulnerable communities," Mustafa Ali told CNN. More from CNN's Eugene Scott and Rene Marsh.
US commander takes responsibility for raid in Yemen: "I am responsible for this mission," Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I accept the responsibility for this. We lost a lot on this operation." The January raid in Yemen resulted in the death of a Navy SEAL and several civilians. More from CNN's Nicole Gaouette and Barbara Starr. | | | President Donald Trump has canceled multiple open press events this week, opting not to let reporters into the room to ask questions. ... The Department of Justice has given a Senate committee documents pertaining to significant cases handled by the department during Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch's tenure as a senior government lawyer from 2005-2006. ... Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado says "a wall is not the right way to proceed." | | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Check out Five Things for Your New Day, CNN's morning newsletter. Give us five minutes, and we'll brief you on all the news and buzz people will be talking about. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
Post a Comment