MORNING MESSAGE
Grassroots Power Stalls Trumpcare
March
23rd, the seventh anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), turned into a
better day for the people of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, than it was for House
Speaker Paul Ryan, President Donald Trump, and our congressman, Rep. Lloyd
Smucker. While the politicians in Washington were scuttling the vote on their
disastrous health care repeal plan, more than two hundred of us gathered in Penn
Square to demand health care for all in an event organized by Keystone Progress,
Lancaster Stands Up, and LCDC Rapid Response Team for Healthcare...
Uncertain ACA Repeal Vote Today
Trump
threatens House GOP with keeping Obamacare. NBC: “Office of Management and
Budget director Mick Mulvaney made clear Thursday evening that President Donald
Trump is done negotiating … wants a vote on Friday. And, if the president
doesn’t get a vote to repeal and replace Obamacare, he will move on to other
priorities … Trump’s latest salvo comes after House Republican leaders abruptly
postponed a planned vote on the GOP health care bill Thursday as they struggled
to find sufficient support to pass it.”
Bill
still attacked from all sides. NYT: “Some conservatives were still concerned
that the bill was too costly and did not do enough to roll back federal health
insurance mandates. Moderates and others, meanwhile, were grappling with worries
of their states’ governors and fretted that the loss of benefits would be too
much for their constituents to bear.”
Trump
offered to remove “essential health benefits” in insurance plans. Bloomberg:
“The Trump administration made a last-minute deal with House conservatives to
change the bill — by removing Obamacare’s requirements that certain essential
benefits be covered by insurance …”
But
Freedom Caucus wants complete repeal. Politico: “The group wants a complete
repeal of all Affordable Care Act regulations — including popular provisions
Trump promised he would maintain. The conservatives’ target list encompasses a
prohibition against discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions
and a requirement that adults up to age 26 can remain on their parents’ health
insurance … Many House Republicans are furious with the Freedom Caucus, saying
the group keeps moving the goal posts and that it really wants to sink the
health care bill altogether.”
Trump
attacks Freedom Caucus. TPM: “Trump used his favorite communication tool,
Twitter, to single out the Freedom Caucus for its members’ opposition to the
House bill. The President noted that the bill would defund Planned Parenthood
and that the caucus would be forgoing an attempt to block funding for the
organization, perhaps in the hopes that he could shame the caucus into backing
the bill.”
“GOP
leaders expecting final vote on AHCA around 3:45-4:45 p.m.” tweets
HuffPost’s Jennifer Bendery.
Schumer Digs In On Gorsuch
Schumer
talks up Gorsuch filibuster in Politico interview: “…Schumer all but
declared that Donald Trump’s nominee will not receive the requisite eight
Democratic votes — and that it will be up to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as
to whether to try to blow up the filibuster to get Gorsuch through. ‘There’s
been an almost seismic shift in the caucus [against Gorsuch],’ Schumer
said…”
“Under
pressure, Dems hold back Gorsuch support” reports The Hill: “Right now,
getting eight votes Democratic votes is looking like a heavy lift … The most
likely Democrat to vote yes, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, said he wants to
meet again with Gorsuch privately before making a decision … Other Democrats
considered likely to vote for Gorsuch said they are undecided … Democrats are
betting that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell(R-Ky.) will have a tough
time persuading 50 members of his caucus to change the rules for the
nominee.”
Keystone Wins Permit
Keystone
gets permit from Trump. Bloomberg: “… the Keystone XL oil pipeline running
from Canada to America’s heartland has been approved by President Donald Trump,
according to TransCanada Corp. … TransCanada also reapplied for approval in
Nebraska, a state that created legal hurdles for the company during the initial
project review.”
Federal
approval “far from the last word” notes USA Today: “TransCanada said it must
still ‘engage key stakeholders and neighbors throughout Nebraska, Montana and
South Dakota to obtain the necessary permits and approvals to advance this
project to construction.’ What’s more, oil prices have dropped considerably over
the last three years, making a new pipeline less lucrative.”
Climate
executive order imminent. The Hill: “The order is expected to disassemble
President Obama’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan and end the moratorium on federal-land
coal mining … Trump is said to be considering a broader order than originally
thought. Sources said it could include other provisions aimed at climate
regulations in general, oil and gas drilling rules and reducing the U.S.’s
commitment in the Paris climate accord.”
Breakfast Sides
“Trump’s
SEC Nominee Has a Major Conflict-of-Interest Problem” reports The Nation:
“In her first round of questioning, [Sen. Elizabeth] Warren noted that, under a
presidential executive order, [Jay] Clayton would have to recuse himself from
participating in any enforcement actions against a former client for the first
two years of his tenure. That means ‘you would not be able to vote to enforce
the law against several big banks, including Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank,
Barclays, and UBS,’ Warren said … But it goes further, because the executive
order also forces recusal in any matter in which Sullivan & Cromwell,
Clayton’s former law firm, is involved. And the firm’s roster of clients is
massive.”
“Trump’s
travel ban could remain blocked for weeks” reports LAT: “A federal appeals
court said Thursday that it would hear arguments in early May over the Trump
administration’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling against its travel ban,
potentially leaving the ban stalled for several more weeks.”
Builders
debate whether to build the wall. Bloomberg: “There is little doubt that if
Congress finds as much as $25 billion to construct the wall, someone will
happily take it. But increasingly, major corporations are weighing potential
profit against political costs.”
Bipartisan
push for repatriation. The Hill: “Trump, who is assembling a $1 trillion
infrastructure package, signaled for the first time in a recent White House
meeting that he is considering using a ‘repatriation’ tax holiday to pay for
part of his plan … [Reps. John] Delaney, [Ted] Yoho and [Rodney] Davis are
seizing on that momentum … The group introduced two bills this week aimed at
tapping into cash overseas…”
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