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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander on Tuesday made the first move by a senior Republican to work with Democrats on repairing Obamacare after his party failed to repeal and replace the healthcare law, announcing work on bipartisan legislation to stabilize the individual health insurance market.

Alexander, who chairs the Senate health committee, urged U.S. President Donald Trump to drop his threat to cut government subsidy payments to insurers that make Obamacare plans affordable and to allow the payments through September. The senator also said fellow lawmakers should fund those payments for one year.

Alexander's announcement followed the spectacular failure last week by Senate Republicans to pass their own repeal or replacement of the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama's signature domestic initiative also referred to as Obamacare.

The Tennessee Republican said the Senate health committee "will hold hearings beginning the week of September 4 on the actions Congress should take to stabilize and strengthen the individual health insurance market so that Americans will be able to buy insurance at affordable prices in the year 2018."

The goal, Alexander said, would be legislation sponsored by both parties that would stabilize the insurance market and help lower premiums in 2018 for the roughly 18 million Americans who buy health insurance in the individual market, instead of getting insurance through an employer.

Trump, frustrated that he and Republicans have not been able to keep promises to repeal and replace Obamacare, has threatened to let the law implode, including by cutting off about $8 billion in subsidies that are used to make Obamacare health plans more affordable for low income Americans.

Insurers, who are finalizing their insurance premium rates for 2018, have asked Congress to guarantee that those funds will stay in place for the rest of this year and 2018. Without the subsidies, they say they will need to raise premium rates by about 20 percent.

Without an answer, insurers have filed preliminary rates based on different parameters: Some set rates that assumed the subsidies would be paid, others set rates that assumed they would not, and some submitted two different set of rates reflecting both outcomes.

Senator Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the health panel, welcomed Alexander's statement and said she looked forward to working in a bipartisan manner to stabilize the healthcare market and reduce premiums.

In the House, a bipartisan group of 43 lawmakers on Monday called for Congress to quickly stabilize the individual insurance market by appropriating money for the cost-sharing payments and creating a stability fund for states.

additional reporting by Caroline Humer; Editing by Cynthia Osterman

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Republican makes first move to work with Democrats on healthcare - Reuters

Lawmakers in Congress have offered a wide range of reactions to President Donald Trumps ban on transgender people serving in the military. File photo by Joshua Roberts/Reuters

The reactions to President Donald Trumps tweets last Wednesday announcing a ban on transgender individuals from serving in the military have continued pouring in this week. On Tuesday, 56 retired military officers spoke out against the announcement, warning that the policy, if implemented, would degrade military readiness. For now, the nations top military official has said transgender troops can continue to serve until the White House issues official guidance to the Department of Defense.

(Trans troops, as NewsHours Corinne Segal reported, are weighing their options).

Meanwhile, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have also weighed in on the issue and their response could be critical. In 2010, Congress repealed Dont ask, Dont tell, the controversial Clinton-era ban on openly gay and lesbian service members. If Congress decides to challenge Trump now, it could come in the form of this years annual defense spending bill. The House has already passed its version; the Senate will ring in next. Ultimately, both chambers must agree on a final spending package, so its important to track Republicans positions on both sides of the Capitol.

Heres a look at where lawmakers stand.

Object to the ban: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was the only Republican who signed onto a letter from 44 Democrats voicing their opposition to the ban. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who chairs the Senate Armed Services committee, has also taken a firm stance against the ban. McCain said in a statement that there is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to leave the militaryregardless of their gender identity. Other Republicans have also opposed the ban publicly in interviews or on social media, including Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and outgoing Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., whose son is transgender.

Opposed to the ban, but in favor of cutting funding for gender reassignment surgery: Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a veteran and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has also come out against the ban. Last week, a spokesperson for the senator told Politico and others that while (Sen. Ernst) believes taxpayers shouldnt cover the costs associated with a gender reassignment surgery, Americans who are qualified and can meet the standards to serve in the military should be afforded that opportunity.

Waiting to hear from military leaders: Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., James Lankford, R-Okla., Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and John Thune, R-S.D., all have indicated that they want the Pentagon to weigh in on the issue.

READ MORE: After Trump announces ban, trans soldiers wonder what comes next

Respect the presidents decision: Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said he respected Trumps decision as the commander-in-chief. Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and David Perdue, R-Ga., indicated the president was acting within his rights when he announced the ban on Twitter.

In favor of the ban: Sens. James Inhofe, R-Okla., and Luther Strange, R-La., have given some of the strongest statements of support of the transgender ban. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, put out a statement saying the president made the absolute right decision.

The no comment crowd: Rand Paul has not yet commented on the substance of the debate. Neither have Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., or Bob Corker, R-Tenn., though Corker said he would look into it.

Critical of the tweets: Several lawmakers in both chambers of Congress criticized Trumps use of Twitter to announce the ban, regardless of how they felt about the policy itself. McCain, for example, called it yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., told reporters that it throws us off when the president makes surprise policy announcements on Twitter.

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Where Republican lawmakers stand on transgender troops - PBS NewsHour

Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) announces the 2018 budget blueprint during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., July 18, 2017. Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Republican U.S. Rep. Diane Black is running for governor in Tennessee.

Black made the announcement Wednesday morning on her campaign website. In a video, she says she believes in conservative values and would fight for the right things as governor.

Other Republican candidates for governor so far include state House Speaker Beth Harwell, state Sen. Mae Beavers, businessman Randy Boyd and businessman Bill Lee. Karl Dean, the former mayor of Nashville, is running on the Democratic side.

Black is in charge of one of the most powerful committees in Congress, the House Budget Committee. She was named interim chair in January when President Donald Trump nominated Rep. Tom Price of Georgia to become secretary of Health and Human Services.

Before being elected to Congress, Black served as a state lawmaker.

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Republican US Rep. Diane Black to run for Tennessee governor - PBS NewsHour

Ed Butowsky bills himself as an "internationally recognized expert in the wealth management industry" and a "leading voice on financial matters." He's also been a semi-regular guest on Fox News and its sister channel, Fox Business Network, as well as a number of other media outlets.

It's those ties to Fox, as well as to the Trump White House, that helped thrust Butowsky to the center of a bizarre and explosive story involving a slain Democratic National Committee staffer and the Trump administration.

A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses Butowsky of working with the White House on a false (and eventually retracted) Fox News story about the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich.

According to the suit, the story was intended to undermine the public's belief in the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia hacked the DNC and obtained the emails ultimately released by Wikileaks.

The lawsuit, which was brought by Rod Wheeler, a private investigator who was quoted in the retracted Fox story represents the first tangible link between the fringe conspiracy theory surrounding Rich's death and the White House.

Related: Lawsuit: Fox News concocted Seth Rich story with oversight from White House

Butowsky told CNN that the allegations are "bulls**t."

He further detailed his side of the story in an appearance on CNN Tonight on Tuesday, claiming the lawsuit was just an attempt by Wheeler to make money.

"I've never talked to President Trump in my life," Butowsky said, denying that the White House had "anything to do with any of this."

In a statement, Jay Wallace, Fox News' president of news, denied that the network published the story "to help detract from coverage of the Russia collusion issue." Wallace also said that Fox has "no evidence that Rod Wheeler was misquoted."

Though he is now more squarely in the public eye than ever before, Butowsky's role in the saga has been known for some time. After Fox's story lit up pro-Trump media in May, the Rich family revealed that Butowsky was subsidizing Wheeler's investigation into the murder, which Washington, D.C. police have blamed on a botched robbery.

But the Rich family was, according to a spokesman representing them, taken aback when they learned that Butowsky has ties to Steve Bannon, the White House strategist and former chairman of Breitbart News.

Butowsky has appeared on Breitbart News Radio multiple times over the years and has described Bannon as "a friend and a very nice man." But Butowsky later told BuzzFeed that he and Bannon are more like acquaintances.

"It's not like I have a Steve Bannon teddy bear," Butowsky said in May. "I've never eaten a meal with the guy."

Butowsky's website details a long career in business, including the 2005 launch of a private wealth management advisory firm in the Dallas area. He's described as "a well-respected member" of the community, and "an accomplished speaker on a variety of topics."

Beyond his business, Butowsky has also plied his trade as a go-to analyst for reporters and broadcasters, frequently popping up on television or in news articles.

His media hits include appearances with outlets outside the conservative media space occupied by Fox and Breitbart, including CNN, CNBC and CBS.

He's also a close friend of "60 Minutes" correspondent Lara Logan, even serving as a spokesperson of sorts after Logan was hospitalized in 2015.

But on Tuesday, as the lawsuit reverberated throughout the media world that he's traveled for years, Butowsky tried to make himself less visible. He appeared to remove videos of his cable news appearances from YouTube, and he deleted his Twitter account.

CNNMoney (New York) First published August 1, 2017: 4:49 PM ET

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The wealthy Republican donor at the center of explosive Fox News lawsuit - CNNMoney

Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado was the first Republican in Congress last year to cut an ad promising to stand up to Donald Trump and six months into the presidency, he has tried to live up to that promise, bucking the president on immigration, health care and other issues.

As Republicans try to defend their House majority next year, lawmakers like Mr. Coffman are trying to find that elusive middle between being a Republican and being a Trump Republican.

For Mr. Coffman, who said last year that he didnt care for [Mr. Trump] much, little has changed. He is vowing to keep bucking the president when he wants, including voting against the American Health Care Act and trying to chart a more lenient path for illegal immigrants.

Mike Coffman has a long track record of independent leadership challenging big spenders in both parties and putting the interests of his constituents first. As Mike has said before, he will stand with President Trump when he agrees with him and stand up to him when he thinks hes wrong, said Tyler Sandberg, campaign adviser to Mr. Coffman.

Mr. Coffman won his district by 9 percentage points last cycle in the same region where Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton topped Mr. Trump by 9 points.

Some Republicans say thats a good sign: Voters are willing to split their ticket and reward congressional Republicans even if they do not support Mr. Trump. One party strategist said that if incumbents such as Mr. Coffman can win swing districts when Mrs. Clinton or Barack Obama is on the ballot, then they are strong enough to win midterm elections.

Others said that might not be the case next year.

The Republican majority could not be any worse than it is right now, said David Flaherty, CEO of Magellan Strategies in Colorado. He said Republicans like Mr. Coffman will need to switch up their campaign strategies now that Mr. Trump is in the White House, and they can no longer sell themselves to voters as checks on government.

Instead, its Democrats who will be able to portray themselves as checks on a runaway Republican Party.

The generic ballot test when voters are asked if they would vote for a Democrat or a Republican in their districts congressional election next year is tilting toward Democrats by 9 percentage points, according to Real Clear Politics average of polls.

Mr. Coffman is one of nearly two dozen Republicans representing districts Mrs. Clinton won last year.

Another is Rep. Barbara Comstock, Virginia Republican, whose district stretches from the Shenandoah Valley to the Washington suburbs. Ms. Comstock won her district in November by 6 points, and Mrs. Clinton won it by 10 points.

Mr. Coffman and Ms. Comstock voted against Republicans American Health Care Act and have voiced criticism of Mr. Trumps other policies.

I did not support the AHCA today because of the many uncertainties in achieving those goals. As the process moves forward, I hope that we can continue to work together to fix our broken health care system, Ms. Comstock said in a statement after the May vote.

Democrats, though, said each lawmaker has plenty of votes to gut Obamacare that they will have to explain.

Coffman is extremely vulnerable in 2018, especially in a district that was carried by Hillary Clinton and has seen an explosion of civic activism, Morgan Carroll, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party, said in a statement.

Democrats also said opposing Mr. Trump on some high-profile issues isnt enough for voters who want to see a broader resistance.

Congresswoman Comstock is stuck between a rock and a hard place, said Cole Leiter, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. She can pretend to be a moderate and isolate herself from her base voters or march lockstep with her party and confirm for families who have rejected the Trump-Washington Republican agenda who she really is. Its an untenable position.

Ms. Comstock has voted for Mr. Trumps position 97 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEights count. Mr. Coffmans record is slightly less lockstep but still at 94 percent.

Nathaniel Gonzales, editor of Inside Elections, said Republicans are still looking for that elusive spot that shows independence but doesnt alienate Trump supporters.

I think every Republican member is playing a game of Survivor and trying to get the right equation to get re-elected. Barbara Comstock tried to distance from the president, but she also needs voters who like the president, Mr. Gonzales said.

Early polling suggests competing influences at work. A Washington Post/ABC News poll last month found a slight majority of voters 52 percent want Democrats to take control of Congress next year, but Republicans and Trump voters are more enthusiastic about their candidates.

Democrats say they have much better odds than Republicans because of Mr. Trumps historically low approval ratings and because the party in power usually loses some seats in midterm elections.

Republicans are in a race to the right to see who can be the Trumpiest candidate. Voters in Colorado understand that a vote for the Republican Party in 2018 is a vote for the Trump agenda of giving more tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires and then sticking middle-class and working families with the bill, Ms. Carroll said.

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Republican incumbents in swing districts try to find right distance from Trump - Washington Times