Dem Sen. Goes Bonkers Over Trump Threat Against His Obamacare Exemption
(WND.com) Democrats in Congress have been in lockstep on almost every subject lately, adopting a party-line position and never relinquishing one inch of its ground.
But none so definitively as on Obamacare, where they have, as a bloc, refused every effort made by President Trump and the GOP majority to take the failing health-care mandates’ worst problems and fix them.
Maybe it’s because those problems are really a worry for their constituents, not them.
At least, that’s the suggestion from a series of social media postings by Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut.
He responded to the president’s tweet over the weekend that perhaps government exemptions for Congress and subsidies for their staff members, under the Obamacare mandates, might go away.
Murphy called it a personal threat.
Trump tweeted on Saturday that: “If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!’
Murphy responded with a series of statements. He first said, “This is a clear threat to Congress: pass my health bill or as punishment I will end health care for you, your staff, & your constituents.”
He continued, “Trump isn’t saying these things will happen naturally. He has the power to cut off health care for leg branch employees & crater exchanges.”
Actually, Trump can end special provisions and subsidies for members and staffers in Congress. But they still would have the right to pay for health care under the provisions that Congress wrote for the rest of the people in America.
Then Murphy said, “I would argue this is a very serious moment. President making personal threats to us and our constituents if we don’t pass his bill.”
Trump is lobbying for some renewed congressional action after every Democrat voted as a bloc last week to torpedo the latest proposals from the GOP majority to salvage the collapsing Obamacare system.
They were joined by three Republicans, led by Sen. John McCain.
The GOP has tried remove all of Obamacare so that lawmakers can start over on improvements to the health care system, and they have tried taking out the worst elements of Obamacare. Nothing has succeeded because of the dedicated unanimity of the Democrats, and a few rogue Republicans.
At Twitchy was a targeted assault on Murphy’s snarks.
“Maybe Sen. Chris Murphy is mad because he assumed if he liked his taxpayer subsidized plan he could keep it?” read a headline.
The commentary continued, “The ‘threat’ he’s referring to is this tweet from President Donald Trump saying he will take away ‘very soon’ Congress’ subsidy that allows members and their staff to buy Obamacare on the cheap…”
The site noted, “The Washington Post reported that the current taxpayer subsidy covers 72 percent of these premiums.”
That explanation noted, “The Affordable Care Act required members of Congress, along with their staff, to buy health-care insurance through the online markets created under the law …. But the lawmakers and their staff members generally make too much to qualify for subsidies under the law meant for low-income Americans. So President Barack Obama decided to let individual congressional offices be counted as small businesses, thereby allowing members and their staff to qualify for the subsidies.”
Trump’s suggestion is simply that if Congress can’t fix the system for the rest of America, maybe members should be paying under the same rules as the rest of America.
Twitchy said, “So, senator, this is a really valid question:”
And it quoted Trump’s social media posting Monday that said, “If ObamaCare is hurting people, & it is, why shouldn’t it hurt the insurance companies & why should Congress not be paying what public pays?”
“Maybe Sen. Murphy is mad because he was told if he liked his taxpayer subsidized plan he could keep his taxpayer subsidized plan? You know like what millions of Americans were promised when they were forced to use Obamacare,” Twitchy said.
That statement by Obama, made during the heat of battle to force Obamacare on America, was that if Americans like their plan, their doctor, etc, they could keep their plan, their doctor, etc.
It’s been rated by fact-checking machines to be among the most egregious of political lies ever.
The followup onTwitchy expressed little sympathy for Murphy.
“Here’s the problem, Chris. You ‘attested’ to Congress & staff being < 50 employees. You lied to not suffer like your constituents,” said “Sandy.”
Added William Paxton, “I would argue you’re a drama queen whining in public that you’re about to lose preferential treatment. Can you hear yourself?”
As the preferential treatment for members of Congress and staff members was implemented by an order from Obama, it could be reversed the same way by President Trump.
Some members of Congress have indicated after the repeated and unrelenting “do nothing” position by Democrats, the majority will move on to its next target: tax reform. Others members have said the health care reform is so important they will continue working on it.
After all, last week’s vote to demolish significant parts of Obama’s mandates – such as that taxpayers are forced to buy insurance specified by the government – was a single vote short. A 50-50 tie in the Senate has been, and would be, broken in favor of Trump’s agenda by Vice President Mike Pence.
Republished with permission from WND.com via iCopyright license.
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