Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 7-21-17

White House and Political News
Senate Replacement Of Obamacare Is Dead; Trump Vows To Use Power To Make Healthcare ‘Fail’
The seven-year Republican quest to undo the Affordable Care Act appeared to reach a dead end on Tuesday in the Senate, leaving President Trump vowing to let Presi- dent Barack Obama’s sig- nature domestic achievement collapse.
Mr. Trump declared that his plan was now to “let Oba- macare fail,” and suggested that Democrats would then seek out Republicans to work together on a bill to bury the Affordable Care Act.
If he is determined to make good on that pledge, his moves would be to decline to reimburse insurance compa- nies for reducing low-income customers’ out-of-pocket costs; to failing to enforce the mandate that most Ameri- cans have health coverage.
In his continued mis- s i o n to erase President Obama’s legacy, he said “It’ll be a lot easier”. “We’re not going to own it. I’m not going to own it. I can tell you the Republicans are not going to own it. We’ll let Oba-
The U.S. Senate is made of 52-46-2 split along party lines, with the majority being Republicans. However, Sens. Susan Collins, left, Shelley Moore Capito, center, and Lisa Murkowski, all Re- publicans, declared their opposition to the plan to repeal Oba- macare Tuesday.
macare fail, and then the De- mocrats are going to come to
us.”
The fate of the repeal ef-
fort looked to be sealed on Tuesday, when a last-ditch attempt to force a vote to abolish the health law with- out a replacement fell short of support.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell an- nounced late Monday that the Senate will give up on its bill to replace Obamacare
and vote instead on legisla- tion to repeal the law within two years.
McConnell made the de- cision after it became clear he could not win enough sup- port from his own GOP sena- tors to pass the latest version of a replacement bill when 2 Republican senators an- nounced they would vote against the revised Senate bill, leaving leaders without enough support to bring the bill to the floor.
NAACP Files Federal Lawsuit Against Trump’s Voting Commission
NAACP
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund on Tuesday filed a law- suit in federal court alleging that President Trump's voting commission “was formed with the intent to dis- criminate against voters of color in violation of the Con- stitution.”
“Statements by President Trump, his spokespersons and surrogates . . . as well as the work of the Commission as described by its co-chairs, are grounded on the false premise that Black and Latino voters are more likely to per- petrate voter fraud,” the suit alleges.
As evidence, the suit points to Trump's repeated unsub- stantiated claims that mil- lions of illegal immigrants voted in the 2016 election. Those claims were subse- quently repeated by Vice President Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, now the chair and vice-chair of the Presi- dential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which Trump set up to investigate his unfounded claims.
The lawsuit alleges that the commission is designed “to
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
reaffirm President Trump’s false allegations of millions of 'illegal' votes, and to provide a basis for actions that will target African-Amer- ican and Latino voters, rather than objectively analyze an issue of national signifi- cance.” The group is asking the federal court to order the commission to cease all activ- ities.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund complaint is at least the seventh federal lawsuit filed against the voting commis- sion this month.
John McCain Has Brain Cancer, Senator’s Office Says
WASHINGTON — Sena- tor John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee known for his inde- pendent streak over more than three decades repre- senting Arizona in the Sen- ate, has brain cancer, his office disclosed Wednesday night in a statement from the Mayo Clinic.
McCain, 80, has a glioblastoma, one of the most common but also one of the most malignant brain tu- mors. It can be treated with chemotherapy and radiation, but medical experts said it al- most always grows back.
McCain’s office said he
Senator John McCain of Ari- zona in Washington earlier this year. CreditStephen Crow- ley/The New York Times
was recuperating at his home in Arizona and “appreciates
the outpouring of support he has received over the last few days.”
His office said McCain would decide when to return to the Senate as he consults with his medical advisers.
Medical experts said the type of tumor McCain has is particularly aggressive. The median survival of a glioblas- toma is about 16 months, said Eugene S. Flamm, chair- man of neurosurgery at Mon- tefiore Hospital in the Bronx. Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts died in 2009 from the same kind of aggressive brain tumor.
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