Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 8 augusT 2017
Bipartisan experts

urge next steps on
health care push

By ALAN FRAM
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A
group of conservative
and liberal health policy
experts is pressing the
Trump administration and
Congress to take steps to
quickly shore up coverage
under the Obama health
care law, an idea that’s
been anathema to Presi-
dent Donald Trump and
many congressional Re-
publicans.
The plan, a copy of which
was obtained by The As-
sociated Press, includes
continuing federal pay-
ments to insurers Trump
has threatened to block. It
says Trump and lawmakers
should find a way for peo-
ple to buy coverage in the
handful of counties that
may have no insurers next
year in the federal and In this Aug. 3, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign-style rally at Big Sandy Superstore Arena in
Huntington, W.Va. After six months of infighting, investigations and legislative failures, President Donald Trump is trying to combat
state insurance exchang- new signs of weakness in his Republican base and re-energize his staunchest supporters.
es created by President (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Barack Obama’s statute.
In addition, the analysts Trump looks to loyal voters as support slips, agenda stalls
want the administration
to continue urging peo- By JULIE PACE for a major, early legisla- approved of the president’s porting legislation to get
ple to sign up for policies LAURIE KELLMAN tive accomplishment and performance in June. big ticket items done. And
and helping them enroll, Associated Press would certainly increase Just one-third of all Ameri- don’t worry about all the
which was stressed under WASHINGTON (AP) — After Republicans’ worries about cans approved of his job distractions and diversions
Obama. The Trump ad- six months of infighting, in- his re-election prospects. performance, a new low in and discouragement that
ministration has signaled vestigations and legislative White House counselor Kel- the poll. others, who are trying to
it might curtail those out- failures, President Donald lyanne Conway acknowl- The president’s struggles al- throw logs in your path, are
reach programs, one of Trump is trying to combat edged the concerns Sun- ready have prompted pub- throwing your way.”
several steps it’s suggested new signs of weakness in day on ABC, saying the lic speculation about his In a televised event at the
it might take that would his Republican base and president’s approval rating political future. The White White House last week, the
undermine the law. re-energize his staunchest “among Republicans and House pushed back angrily president endorsed legisla-
It is unclear whether the supporters. White House of- conservatives and Trump Sunday against a New York tion that would dramatical-
recommendations will ficials have been urging the voters is down slightly.” Times report about Repub- ly reduce legal immigration
have much influence on president to refocus on im- “It needs to go up,” she licans preparing for 2020 to the United States. The bill
one of the most politically migration and other issues said. In a Monday morning presidential race that may is unlikely to ever become
polarizing issues in Wash- that resonate with the con- tweet, Trump dismissed his not include Trump. The re- law, but that mattered little
ington. The impact might servatives, evangelicals adviser’s statement. “The port described Vice Presi- to Trump’s advisers. Their
also be blunted because and working-class whites Trump base is far bigger & dent Mike Pence as laying barometer for success was
the Senate’s jolting July 28 who propelled him to the stronger than ever before,” groundwork in case Trump the reaction from conser-
defeat of the GOP effort to Oval Office. The president he wrote on Twitter. He lat- does not run. Pence called vatives like commentator
repeal Obama’s law has has ramped up his media- er insisted that his support the report “disgraceful.” Ann Coulter, who called
left Republicans divided bashing via Tweet, long a “will never change!” The chatter has been fu- the White House’s embrace
over whether to seek a bi- successful tactic for Trump, But polling doesn’t support eled by Trump’s unsuc- of the controversial legisla-
partisan deal with Demo- and staged rallies hoping Trump’s claim. A recent cessful attempt to shep- tion “the best moment of
crats. to marshal his base to his Quinnipiac University survey herd health care legislation the Trump presidency since
Yet the advice, from lead- defense. showed the president’s ap- through Congress, the drip- the inauguration.”
ing policy advisers to poli- The effort underscores proval dipping into nega- drip of revelations about Immigration is expected
ticians of both parties, Trump’s shaky political tive territory among whites his associates’ ties to Russia to continue being a focus
underscores that politics positioning not yet seven without college degrees — and the churn of turnover for Trump in the coming
aside, there are steps re- months into his presidency. a key group of supporters and turmoil at the White weeks, including a push for
spected voices from each Trump has remained deep- for the president. The per- House. The president’s ad- the border wall. Officials
side agrees could be tak- ly unpopular among Dem- centage of Republicans visers have tried to drown also are weighing a more
en to prop up a law that’s ocrats, and there are signs who strongly approve of out the bad news by focus- public role for White House
expanded coverage to that his support among Re- his performance also fell, ing on his agenda. policy adviser Stephen
around 20 million Ameri- publicans may be soften- with just over half of Repub- “They are telling him just Miller, a favorite of Trump
cans. The experts urge ac- ing. His advisers are aware licans saying they strongly enact your program,” Con- backers whose hard-line
tion by Sept. 30, the end of that a serious slip in sup- approved of Trump. That’s way said of the president’s immigration policies irri-
the government’s budget port among his core vot- down from the two-thirds of base. “Don’t worry about tate some congressional
year.q ers could jeopardize hopes Republicans who strongly a Congress that isn’t sup- Republicans.q