Civic Register
| 10.13.17

What They’re Saying: Trump’s ACA EO and Ending Insurance Subsidies

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On Thursday morning, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that he said would begin "saving the American people from the nightmare of Obamacare." (Countable’s run-down of the EO can be found here.) Hours later, the president announced he was ending the cost-sharing reduction payments (CSR) — the subsidies the federal government pays insurers to help them reduce the cost of insurance for low-income customers.

In a series of early-morning tweets on Friday, the President said:

An hour later, the President followed up with another tweet:

The response to Trump’s twin attacks on the Affordable Care Act has, as expected, been mixed. Here’s what they’re saying…

"Dems" did not “call [Trump] to fix!” Instead, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA) issued a joint statement, calling Trump’s move:

"A spiteful act of vast, pointless sabotage leveled at working families and the middle class in every corner of America. Make no mistake about it, Trump will try to blame the Affordable Care Act, but this will fall on his back and he will pay the price for it."

Schumer also tweeted:

Sen. Rand Paul, however, was on hand for the president’s executive order signing. The Kentucky legislator tweeted:

Later, Paul retweeted a kudos from the Kentucky GOP: "Thanks to @realDonaldTrump & @RandPaul, this EO is the biggest free-market reform of healthcare in a generation"

Another Kentucky legislator ― Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ― echoed these sentiments.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) also applauded the decision. In a statement, the Wisconsin lawmaker said that the "power of the purse belongs to Congress" and therefore it was unconstitutional for the executive branch to issue CSR payments.

"Today’s decision by the Trump administration to end the appeal of that ruling preserves a monumental affirmation of Congress’s authority and the separation of powers. Obamacare has proven itself to be a fatally flawed law, and the House will continue to work with Trump administration to provide the American people a better system."

Not everyone with an (R) after their name felt the same. Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen tweeted:

Some states have announced they plan to sue the Trump administration in order to protect health care subsidies. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) tweeted:

Now that you know what they’re saying, what do you have to say? Hit Take Action and say it to your reps — then tell your fellow citizens below.

—Josh Herman

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(Photo Credit: designer491/ iStockphoto)