Republican health bill in shambles, House commences two-week break – Chicago Tribune
The Republican health care bill remained in shambles Thursday as House leaders threw up their hands and sent lawmakers home for a two-week recess. GOP chiefs announced a modest amendment to curb premium increases, but internal divisions still blocked their promised repeal of former President Barack Obama's law.
"This brings us closer to the final agreement that we all want to achieve," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said of the new amendment, flanked by about two dozen GOP lawmakers at a news briefing meant to project unity.
But in a sentiment echoed by other leaders, Ryan conceded "we have more work to do" over the "days and weeks ahead." That underscored the longer timeline Republican leaders acknowledge they'll need to resolve disputes between conservatives and moderates that blew up their legislation last month, dishing a mortifying defeat to Ryan and President Donald Trump.
Ominously, lawmakers from both ends of the party who've opposed the GOP legislation said Thursday's revision wasn't enough to turn them around. They included Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who leads the conservative House Freedom Caucus, a hotbed of opposition, and moderate GOP Rep. Leonard Lance of New Jersey.
"I favor making sure no one is denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition. So I doubt this would be enough," said Lance.
Frustration over the bill's dismal performance in Congress spilled out during a meeting Ryan and other House leaders attended late Wednesday at the White House, according to several Republicans who'd been told about the session.
White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and others expressed unhappiness that the legislation remained unfinished, and the fanfare accompanying the amendment introduced Thursday was a direct result of that meeting, the Republicans said.
"The president and the speaker had a very good, long conversation last night and they remain fully on the same page on the path ahead," Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said. Trump and Ryan spoke after the White House meeting.
The new language was aimed at containing premiums by providing an additional $15 billion over a decade to help insurers cover the costs of seriously ill people, said Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., a sponsor of the amendment. Such customers' expensive care can drive up premiums for all consumers.
The money would be on top of a $100 billion fund already in the GOP bill that states could use for various purposes, including high-risk insurance pools where people with medical problems can get coverage.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., emailed GOP lawmakers that if a breakthrough on the bill occurred during the recess, "We will advise members immediately and give you sufficient time to return to Washington." The prospects for that seemed remote, at best.
Two weeks ago, Ryan called off a House vote on the measure repealing much of the 2010 health care overhaul. The GOP legislation replacing it would scale back the federal role in health care, covering 24 million fewer people over time while cutting taxes for upper-income earners.
Deep differences among hardliners and moderates have impeded the Republican march. Each side blames the other, and the recess could drain more momentum from the repeal drive.
A proposal discussed between the White House and leaders of the Freedom Caucus would let states seek federal waivers of two insurance requirements the law established.
One forbids insurers from charging higher premiums on account of people's medical problems or pre-existing conditions. The other spells out categories of benefits, like hospitalization and substance abuse treatment, that all insurance plans must cover.
Conservatives who want the federal government out of health care argue that those provisions have driven up premiums and decreased choice.
Critics say eliminating those insurance requirements would raise premiums for people with serious medical problems and threaten to leave many people without coverage they need.
Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
Read the original here:
Republican health bill in shambles, House commences two-week break - Chicago Tribune
- Exclusive | The Republican Strategy to Win Without Trump on the Ballot - WSJ - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Another Republican enters race to succeed Andy Barr in U.S. House - Kentucky Lantern - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Republican tax and spending cut megabill expected to take billions from Oregon Health Plan - Oregon Capital Chronicle - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Up Close with Bill Ritter: Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa on race for NYC mayor; Democrats try to unite behind Zohran Mamdani - ABC7 New York - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Exclusive / Moreno set to replace Tillis on Republican whip team - Semafor - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Chairman of Randall County Republican Party arrested for election fraud - KVII - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Republican Backs Push to Repeal Part of Trump Bill Days After Voting For It - Newsweek - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Republican The View Co-Host Admits to Crying Backstage at Least Half a Dozen Times - The Daily Beast - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Wisconsin Republican compares himself to Trump as he launches his bid for governor - AP News - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Opinion | Jeff Flake: The Republican Fever Must Break - The New York Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Two women accuse Republican state lawmaker of making unwanted sexual advances. He denies the allegations. - The Colorado Sun - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- 1988: A year that echoes in Georgia Republican politics to this day - SaportaReport - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Manassas Republican Party Headquarters vandalized over July 4 weekend - Washington Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Republican House leader Windschitl announces campaign for Congress in western Iowa - thegazette.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Public Safety Should Trump Politics; The High Cost of Republican Posturing - Progress Texas - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Georgia Republican says grandchildren are safe after being at Texas summer camp that flooded - The Hill - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Two women accuse Republican State Representative of inappropriate sexual behavior - KUSA.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- New York Times columnist admits that Trump is a 'normie Republican' - Fox News - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- E&E News: Energy winners and losers in the Republican megabill - POLITICO Pro - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Completely beatable: Dems go on offensive over unpopular Republican budget - MSNBC News - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Rep. Mark Green resigns from Congress, leaving Speaker Johnson with an even narrower Republican majority in the House - CNBC - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- A swing-district Republican on why he supports Trump's sweeping policy bill : Here & Now Anytime - NPR - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Trumps climate research cuts are unpopular, even with Republican voters - Yale Climate Connections - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Energy winners and losers in the Republican megabill - E&E News by POLITICO - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Tax Cuts Now, Benefit Cuts Later: The Timeline in the Republican Megabill - The New York Times - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Opinion | An Immoral and Cruel Republican Bill - The New York Times - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- No One Loves the Bill (Almost) Every Republican Voted For - The Atlantic - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Truth to Power: A Republican Senator Stands Up for Medicaid and His Constituents; Then Announces Retirement - Georgetown University - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- 9 Questions About the Republican Megabill, Answered - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- This Pennsylvania Republican withstood pressure on the megabill. Heres why. - Politico - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Wisconsin Republican Deletes Post That Appeared To Celebrate Millions Of People Losing Health Insurance - Yahoo - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican Bill Puts Nation on New, More Perilous Fiscal Path - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Trump says the Republican mega bill will eliminate taxes on Social Security. It does not - PBS - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican Bill Will Raise Costs, Poverty, and Hunger, Take Health Coverage Away From Millions - Center on Budget and Policy Priorities - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Republican voters on Trumps sweeping tax-and-spend legislation: This bill is a no-brainer! - The Guardian - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- These are the Republican votes to watch on the Trump megabill - The Hill - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Trump Meets With House Republican Holdouts to Press for Policy Bill - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- How the Republican spending bill super-charges immigration enforcement - Reuters - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- House Should Reject Senate Republican Bill That Is Even Worse Than Already Harmful House Version in Important Ways - Center on Budget and Policy... - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Trump Tax Bill Hits Republican Resistance in House Ahead of Vote - Bloomberg - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- The Republican senators who voted against Trump's "big, beautiful bill" - Axios - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- By the Numbers: Senate Republican Leaderships Reconciliation Bill Takes Food Assistance Away From Millions of People - Center on Budget and Policy... - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Which Republican senators voted against Trump's agenda bill and why - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- State of Colorado says Republican budget bill will cut billions in federal funding for Medicaid in the state - CBS News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Republican Senator Tells House Not To Vote on Bill She Just Voted For - Newsweek - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Here Are the Republican Senators Who May Revolt on Trumps Bill - The New York Times - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Opinion | The Republican Policy Bill Will Cripple Obamacare - The New York Times - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- House Republican files amendment to revert Trump-endorsed 'big, beautiful bill' back to initial House version - Fox News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Republican budget leaders moving forward a plan to close the aging Green Bay prison - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- RFK Jr. is bringing psychedelics to the Republican Party - Politico - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican Sen. Thom Tillis will not seek reelection next year after Trump attacks - NPR - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Following Trump attacks, Republican Senator Tillis bows out of 2026 reelection race - Reuters - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican North Carolina Sen. Tillis wont seek reelection after opposing Trumps bill - PBS - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina wont run in 2026 after opposing Trumps bill - AP News - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Sanders Leads Republican Governors to Call on Congress to Remove AI Regulatory Moratorium from One, Big, Beautiful Bill - Arkansas Governor - Sarah... - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- House Republican Don Bacon, a Trump critic, will not seek reelection - media - Reuters - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Exclusive | One NY Republican opens massive lead in possible primary to face Gov. Kathy Hochul: poll - New York Post - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina won't seek reelection after opposing Trump's bill - WCCB Charlotte - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Nebraska Republican Don Bacon will not seek re-election to Congress - NBC News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Democratic and Republican Parties Hold Nominating Events This Week for Sept. 9 Special Election - Fairfax County (.gov) - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Vulgar and threatening graffiti painted on Huntsville business ahead of Republican congresswomans visit - WAFF - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Centrist Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska won't seek reelection - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- A Running List of Policies Rejected From the Republican Megabill - The New York Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Trumps Bill Slashes the Safety Net That Many Republican Voters Rely on - The New York Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Republican plans to overhaul Medicaid are already shaking up the 2026 midterms - CNN - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The Senate Republican Tax Plan: Officially Worse than the House Republican Tax Plan - Senate Committee on Finance (.gov) - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Texas Republican State Representative discusses why he opposed the THC ban, criticizes the state bud - CBS News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Republican Says 'Most' of Iran's Uranium Is Still There - Newsweek - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Fewer Democrats Are Taking the Bait on Republican Immigration Votes - NOTUS - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- US Republican senators push back on Trump cuts to foreign aid and public media - Reuters - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Republican introduces amendment to end birthright citizenship once and for all - Fox News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Centrist Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska won't seek reelection - Yahoo - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Scoop: New Republican Senate candidate in Kentucky to team up with top Trump ally - Fox News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The Republican foreign policy debate, President Trump, and the transatlantic alliance - Brookings - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- A Republican plan to sell off millions of acres of public lands is no more for now - Los Angeles Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- By the Numbers: Senate Republican Leaderships Health Agenda Takes Health Coverage Away From Millions of People and Raises Families Costs - Center on... - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Sweeping GOP budget bill illuminates the central fault line in the modern Republican coalition - CNN - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Lisa Murkowskis commitment to the Trump-era Republican Party appears increasingly shaky - MSNBC News - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Republican plans to cap student borrowing could shatter an everyday profession - Politico - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Republican Lisa Murkowski on Trumps America and the intensity on the security of our democracy - The Guardian - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]