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U.S. NEWS Thursday 4 May 2017
AP Newsbreak: House to vote on health care bill Thursday

united against the health tential defections of Upton
bill. But they generally ap- and Long over the previous
plauded a separate $1 tril- 48 hours had emerged as a
lion-plus spending measure possible death knell for the
to keep the government bill, and with it seven years’
running, which passed the worth of GOP campaign
House on a bipartisan vote promises to repeal and re-
of 309-118. place Democrat Barack
On the health care front, Obama’s Affordable Care
Reps. Fred Upton of Michi- Act.
gan and Billy Long of Mis- “’We need you, we need
souri emerged from a you, we need you,’” Long
White House meeting with described as the message
Trump saying they could from Trump.
now support the bill, thanks The latest iteration of the
to the addition of $8 billion GOP bill would let states es-
over five years to help peo- cape a requirement under
ple with pre-existing condi- Obama’s law that insurers
tions. charge healthy and seri-
“Today we’re here an- ously ill customers the same
nouncing that with this ad- rates. Overall, the legisla-
dition that we brought to tion would cut the Medic-
the president and sold him aid program for the poor,
Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., second from right, speaks to reporters outside the White House in
Washington, Wednesday, May 3, 2017, following a meeting with President Donald Trump on health on in over an hour meeting eliminate Obama’s fines for
care reform. From left are, Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, Reps. Billy Long, R-Mo., and Rep. Fred in here with him, that we’re people who don’t buy in-
Upton, R-Mich. both yeses on the bill,” surance and provide gen-
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Long told reporters. The po- erally skimpier subsidies.q

Continued from front congressional victory save
Senate confirmation of a
And there’s no guarantee Supreme Court justice.
that the bill, if passed by As he announced the vote
the House on Thursday, will would go forward, McCar-
actually become law. First thy was asked if leaders
the Senate must work its were confident they had
will, and the House legisla- the votes and he replied:
tion has generated signifi- “Yes.” The announcement
cant opposition in the up- Wednesday evening came
per chamber. Nonetheless, at the end of a day when
victory in the House would House Republican leaders
provide some vindica- and Trump intensified their
tion of the GOP’s ability to already fierce lobbying to
govern in Republican-con- save the long-promised
trolled Washington, and legislation, agreeing to
provide a long-sought win changes that brought two
for Trump, who has been pivotal Republicans back
in office more than 100 on board.
days without a significant Democrats stood firmly

Trump optimistic over Mideast

peace, says ‘We will get it done’

MATTHEW LEE cilitator” between the two
AP Diplomatic Writer sides. “We will get it done,”
WASHINGTON (AP) — De- Trump confidently told Ab-
spite bleak prospects for bas.
success, President Don- “I’m committed to working
ald Trump promised on with Israel and the Pales-
Wednesday “to do what- tinians to reach an agree-
ever is necessary” to forge ment,” Trump said. “But
an Israeli-Palestinian peace any agreement cannot
deal. be imposed by the United
At a White House meet- States or by any other na-
ing with Palestinian leader tion. The Palestinians and
Mahmoud Abbas, Trump Israelis must work together
pledged to reinvigorate to reach an agreement
the stalled Mideast peace that allows both peoples
process that has bedeviled to live, worship, and thrive
his predecessors and said and prosper in peace.”
he would serve as “a me-
diator, an arbitrator or a fa- Continued on Page 27