House Speaker John Boehner said Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton “can’t sit on the sidelines” while Congress and President Obama fight to pass a critical trade deal.
And he said GOP lawmakers have yet to come up with a replacement for Obamacare that could be swiftly implemented if the Supreme Court voids a critical element of the law later this year.
Boehner told NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd that the House and Senate are working to pass a trade bill that would give the president greater authority to expedite trade deals, including one involving 11 other nations mostly in the Pacific rim.
Clinton, he said, is in favor of the deal, but “she just won’t say so.”
Boehner said Obama needs Clinton’s help to pass the deal by helping sway Democrats, who are mostly opposed to it.
Former President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement into law and many Democrats believe it led to job losses.
Republicans have been calling on Obama to convince House Democrats to vote for the proposal.
Hillary Clinton needs to step in, too, Boehner said.
“She can’t sit on the sidelines and let the president swing in the wind here,” Boehner said.
Boehner said that GOP lawmakers are also working to come up with a health insurance reform proposal that could be implemented if the Supreme Court rules later this year that the federal subsidies in more than 30 states are not legal.
The court is weighing whether the law was written to exclude the use of subsidies in states that did not create their own health insurance exchanges. If the court rules that the subsidies must end, millions of people would lose those subsidies and would be left unable to pay for health insurance.
“I think our three House chairmen are working on this,” Boehner said. “We’re beginning the process of working with the Senate Republicans. Because I think it’s important that we’re on the same page in terms of what our response is, if in fact, the court rules against the Obama administration.”
