Democrat John Yarmuth Says Obamacare Repeal ‘Sinking Of Its Own Weight’
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
John Yarmuth, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives budget committee, said Republican legislation to repeal former President Obama’s signature health care law “is in legislative quicksand.”
“It is sinking of its own weight, and every time the Republicans try to move one way or another, it is sinking faster,” said Yarmuth, of Kentucky, who is Jewish.
Republicans are feuding over the bill with some moderates spooked by projections it will cause 24 million Americans to lose their health insurance.
Conservatives derisively say the new GOP bill is too similar to the Obamacare that they have spent years railing against.
Reflecting the conundrum, House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Wednesday the major elements of the overhaul plan backed by President Trump will not change.
The White House and Ryan struggled to shore up support among Republican lawmakers for the legislation ahead of a key hurdle in the House Budget Committee on Thursday. Vice President Mike Pence was set to met with conservative House lawmakers and then the entire Republican House membership.
“Obviously, the major components are staying intact because this is something we wrote with President Trump. This is something we wrote with the Senate committees,” Ryan told the Fox Business Network.—Reuters
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
