House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told fellow Democrats Tuesday to offer ideas for improving Obamacare, saying they must not allow the law to twist in the wind after the GOP failed to rally around its own repeal bill last week.
Mrs. Pelosi said Democrats can preserve their recent victory by offering ways to build on the Affordable Care Act, which extended coverage to more than 20 million but is suffering from soaring premiums and dwindling choices on its web-based exchanges.
Mr. Trump says he might let the law to implode on its own, forcing Democrats to plead for an overhaul.
But Democrats say that amounts to sabotage of a salvageable law, so it’s time to be proactive.
“After the collapse of TrumpCare, we must ensure that the Trump Administration does not sabotage the ACA out of spite,” Mrs. Pelosi wrote to fellow Democrats. “Then, we can work to improve and update the Affordable Care Act and the health security it provides tens of millions of Americans.
“It would be my hope to create a list of priorities to engage with our colleagues, with social media and advocacy groups, and perhaps even with the President,” she added.
Mrs. Pelosi asked members to send their ideas to ranking Democrats on committees that oversee health care, so leadership can discuss them immediately.
Rather than hold a Friday vote they could not win, Mr. Trump told House Speaker Paul D. Ryan to pull the GOP’s first attempt at repeal, which used arcane budget rules to get around Capitol Hill Democrats who linked arms with liberal activists in vociferous opposition to the bill.
The White House said Monday that Mr. Trump is open to working with Democrats on health-care legislation and other priorities, after conservative Republicans balked at the initial GOP plan.
Mr. Trump has been particularly critical of House Freedom Caucus members who withheld their votes for the health care plan because they felt it didn’t do enough to kill off Obamacare and slash premiums.
Yet Mr. Ryan on Monday said the House GOP will revive its effort to repeal Obamacare without the help of Democrats.
He didn’t provide a timeline, saying it might take some time to get it right, even as Congress and the Trump administration move on to tax reform.
Majority Whip Steve Scalise also projected confidence, saying Democrats’ celebrations were “premature” and that House Republicans were already moving toward agreement after last week’s debacle.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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