Hours before the House was to vote on crucial health care legislation Friday, President Trump raised the ante for conservative lawmakers planning to vote against him, issuing a thinly veiled warning about possible 2018 GOP primary challenges if they cross him.
“The irony is that the Freedom Caucus, which is very pro-life and against Planned Parenthood, allows P.P. to continue if they stop this plan!” the president said on Twitter of his opposition on the right.
Conservative activist Ralph Reed quickly retweeted the president’s comment, and added his own view about the consequences for Republicans who oppose the Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill.
“Health care bill defunds PP & ends subsidies for abortion. A ’no’ vote funds PP & allows taxpayer funds to to be used to take unborn life,” said Mr. Reed, chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition.
Beyond gutting Obamacare, the bill would strip federal funding for Planned Parenthood as punishment for its abortion practice — a long-standing goal for conservatives.
As the vote neared, the White House said the president had done everything he could to work for passage of the legislation.
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“He’s left everything on the field with this bill,” said White House press secretary Sean Spicer. “The president and his team have committed everything they can to making this thing happen. We have called every member who had a question or concern.”
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan met with Mr. Trump at the White House at mid-day to brief him on the bill’s status and “the way forward,” Mr. Spicer said.
“The speaker has done everything he can,” he said. “At some point, you can only do so much.”
By framing Friday’s vote as a litmus test on Planned Parenthood, Mr. Trump was issuing a not-so-subtle reminder to GOP lawmakers about one of their perennial worries — an election challenge on the right.
Mr. Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office that he didn’t think Republican leaders rushed the bill.
Asked what he’ll do if the bill fails, Mr. Trump replied, “We’ll see what happens.”
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Republican Rep. Mark Walker of North Carolina, chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, said Friday morning that the White House’s ultimatum for lawmakers to take or leave the current bill was having an impact.
“I think it’s helpful,” said Mr. Walker. “What he’s trying to do is create a sense of urgency.”
Planned Parenthood Executive Vice President Dawn Laguens accused Mr. Trump of playing politics with the organization.
“The president is using Planned Parenthood, and the millions of women who depend on us for care, as part of a dangerous political game,” she said in a statement. “While the president tweets and plays politics, we’re busy fighting to save health care that 1 in 5 women rely on.”
She said the legislation “was already the worst bill for women’s health in our lifetime — and it’s been getting worse every day.”
“You cannot call yourself pro-family and slash maternity care,” she said. “You cannot claim you want to invest in women’s health and block access to Planned Parenthood and essential women’s health care. Negotiating away access to cancer screenings, birth control and maternity care is not ’pro-life,’ it’s cruel.”
In a closed-door meeting with House Republicans earlier this week, Mr. Trump told Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, North Carolina Republican, in a jovial warning that he would “come after” him if the lawmaker voted against the bill that the president has been working on tirelessly.
David Axelrod, former adviser to then-President Barack Obama, said of Mr. Trump’s latest warning on Twitter: “This particular appeal won’t enthuse moderates in the House and Senate.”
There have been other signs of potential consequences for Republican lawmakers willing to vote against the bill.
On Thursday, the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Mr. Ryan, announced that it was pulling its support from Republican Rep. David Young of Iowa, who is opposing the Obamacare repeal bill. The move came a day after Mr. Young announced his opposition to the bill.
“CLF will be terminating our lease because David Young has decided not to support President Trump and House leadership,” CLF Executive Director Corry Bliss told The Wall Street Journal. “At this time the Congressional Leadership Fund has no plans to spend any money for David Young this cycle but we wish him the best of luck.”
The political action committee had contributed nearly $2 million for Mr. Young’s reelection campaign in 2016.
Mr. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, has been caught between conservatives who are willing to tank the plan unless it repealed additional regulations on insurers and Republican centrists who say the plan already goes too far.
Asked if Mr. Ryan should remain as speaker if the bill fails, the president said simply, “Yes.
Republicans can’t afford to lose more than 22 votes, because no Democrats are expected to vote for the bill.
Fed up with stalled negotiations, Mr. Trump delivered an ultimatum late Thursday — either back his plan in a Friday vote or risk leaving Obamacare in place, because he’s moving on to tax reform and the rest of his agenda.
“After seven horrible years of ObamaCare (skyrocketing premiums & deductibles, bad healthcare), this is finally your chance for a great plan!” he tweeted.
The Cancer Survivors Network for Planned Parenthood is airing pro-Planned Parenthood advertisements Friday featuring footage of Mr. Trump speaking in favor of the organization’s services.
“Millions and millions of women — cervical cancer, breast cancer — are helped by Planned Parenthood,” Mr. Trump said at a GOP primary debate in March 2016.
He also said in the same debate, “I’m totally against abortion having to do with Planned Parenthood.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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