The White House’s top spokesman reacted to the news that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence will be Donald Trump’s running mate by applauding Pence’s decision to accept more federal money for Medicaid in his state under Obamacare.
“I’m not sure to what extent President Obama has had a chance to interact with Gov. Pence,” Earnest told reporters Thursday when asked what Obama thought about Trump’s reported pick. “I know Gov. Pence has done some important work to expand Medicaid in his state… but I will leave it to the candidates to decide who would best complement their skills.”
Pence worked for months with the Obama administration to expand a reformed version of Medicaid that included personal responsibility conditions into the healthcare benefit for the poor.
He only agreed to expand Medicaid if the federal government allowed provisions requiring participants to contribute to the cost of their care, a revamped version of a program started by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels.
“I believe Medicaid is not a program we should expand. It’s a program we should reform, and that’s exactly what we’re accomplishing,” Pence said in early 2015 when the Obama administration approved his version of an expansion.
Indiana officials predicted that as many as 350,000 low-income Hoosiers would be eligible for new benefits with the expansion.
Earnest also briefly commented on Pence’s actions to allow individuals and companies in Indiana to contest court penalties that may be imposed on them for refusing to do business with LGBT individuals if they believe doing so violates their private religious beliefs.
“The president has had a pretty strong negative reaction to state laws that are focused on taking rights away from people,” Earnest said. “Other than that, these are the types of questions that Gov. Pence will have to answer under the national spotlight.”
In March 2015, Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which allows individuals and companies to argue in legal proceedings that their freedom to exercise their religion has been “substantially burdened” if courts penalize them for refusing to do business with LGBT customers.
The Indiana law sparked a national firestorm with the LGBT community, which said the law is aimed at institutionalizing discrimination. In addition, several companies, including Apple, Subaru of America and Angie’s List said they would put a stop to plans to expand their businesses in the state.
Pence defended the bill, arguing that is not about discrimination but allowing greater freedoms, and then signed an amendment intended to provide protections to LGBT people.
Earnest was more reticent when asked about Clinton’s prospects for vice president.
“Secretary Clinton will have to make her own decisions,” he said. “The president has warm feelings about a number of individuals who have had their names bandied about in the media.”
