Senate

Schumer: Trump doesn’t understand ObamaCare payments deal

by Jordain Carney - 10/18/17 10:57 AM ET

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) ripped President Trump’s comments on a bipartisan deal to extend key ObamaCare payments to insurers, arguing he doesn’t understand the agreement.

“Frankly the president doesn’t know what he’s talking about in the compromise. … The president ought to know what he’s talking about when he tweets about bills. Because on this one he had no understanding of what it’s about,” Schumer said from the Senate floor.

He added, “This president keeps zigging and zagging so it’s impossible to govern.”

Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning that he “can never support bailing out [insurance companies] who have made a fortune w/ O’Care.”

{mosads}The president was referring to a deal by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) — the top members of the Senate Health Committee — aimed at stabilizing the individual health insurance market.

The agreement would guarantee ObamaCare’s cost-sharing reduction payments for two years in exchange for giving states more flexibility to change ObamaCare’s rules by getting a waiver.

“There are many reasons to feel vehemently upset, strongly upset about this tweet, how wrong it is,” Schumer said. “Our only hope is maybe tomorrow he’ll be for this again.”

The Trump administration announced last week that it was nixing the payments because they were never actually appropriated under ObamaCare.

Schumer noted that the president previously called him to talk about health care and said they should encourage Alexander and Murray to get a deal.

“The president is obstructing at the moment. … So I hope the president rethinks his position. He rethought it several times already. I hope he actually reads and learns what’s in the bill,” he said.

It’s unclear if the deal by Alexander and Murray will be able to get the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate.

Alexander will need to win over a significant number of GOP senators, some of whom have been skeptical of supporting what critics say is a plan to prop up ObamaCare.

Tags Chuck Schumer Lamar Alexander Patty Murray