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U.S. NEWS Thursday 19 OcTOber 2017
Senators push health deal as Trump keeps distance

Continued from Front language in the compro-
But Trump has lambasted mise to ensure the money
the subsidies as insurance directly benefits customers,
company bailouts. not companies.
“It’s not a full approach “We will keep working on
and we need something it,” said Alexander.
to go a little further,” said He said he and Murray
White House spokeswom- would formally unveil the
an Sarah Huckabee Sand- bill Thursday and predicted
ers. that “some form of the pro-
The money reimburses car- posal” would become law
riers for lowering co-pay- by year’s end. It could be-
ments and deductibles come part of a must-pass
for about 6 million lower- bill preventing a federal
income customers, which shutdown due in Decem-
the companies must do ber.
under Obama’s statute. “The president has had six
Without those funds, insur- positions on our bill,” Mur-
ers would likely boost pre- ray told reporters.
miums by an average 20 Asked if the measure was
percent, the nonpartisan still alive, she said, “Of
Congressional Budget Of- course it is.”
fice has projected. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the ranking member, and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman Alexander said Trump
of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, meet before the start of a hear-
This would especially hit ing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017, the morning after they reached a called him Wednesday
many buying their own deal to resume federal payments to health insurers that President Donald Trump had halted. Sen. morning and encouraged
health insurance who Alexander says Trump called him Wednesday morning “to be encouraging” of bipartisan efforts him to continue his effort,
make too much to qualify to come up with a plan to stabilize health insurance premiums. but left wiggle room.q
for tax credits that help re- (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
duce premiums for lower berate it in an evening
earners. speech.
Confusingly, Trump praised Some said his objections
the bipartisan agreement Wednesday to enrich-
early Tuesday as a “very ing insurers could be ad-
good solution,” only to dressed by strengthening
Sessions defends Comey firing,
dodges questions about Trump

By ERIC TUCKER not answer any questions
SADIE GURMAN about conversations with
Associated Press the president that he con-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attor- sidered confidential.
ney General Jeff Sessions He largely adhered to that
strongly defended Presi- principle during the five-
dent Donald Trump’s firing hour hearing, refusing to
of James Comey, but at a say what Trump told him
Senate hearing Wednes- about his reasons for want-
day repeatedly declined ing to fire Comey, whether
to discuss private conver- Trump confided in him his
sations with the president concern about “lifting the
about the dismissal, frustrat- cloud” of the Russia inves-
ing Democratic lawmakers tigation and whether he
who wanted to link the fir- had asked him to drop a
ing of the FBI director to a criminal case against Sher-
broader inquiry into Russian iff Joe Arpaio in Arizona.
election meddling. Sessions deflected the
The repeated, often-testy questions by maintaining
questioning about the Rus- that presidents are entitled
sia investigation, coming to have private discussions
even as Sessions spear- with Cabinet secretaries,
heads sweeping changes saying at one point, “I do
to the Justice Department not confirm or deny the
in the areas of LGBT rights, existence of any communi-
criminal justice and immi- cation between the presi-
gration, illustrates the ex- dent that I consider to be
tent to which the probe confidential.”
continues to shadow Ses- Still, Sessions’ defense of
sions even though he re- the Comey firing — and his
cused himself months ago. insistence that it stemmed
Sessions advised the Sen- from the handling of the
ate Judiciary Committee Hillary Clinton email case
at the outset of his first — was consistent with the
oversight hearing as attor- initial explanation by the
ney general that he would White House. q