House Speaker Paul Ryan announced his opposition to a deal to stabilize Obamacare’s exchanges shortly after President Trump bashed it.
Ryan’s spokesperson Doug Andres told the Washington Examiner Wednesday the speaker didn’t see anything in the bipartisan deal that changes his view that “the Senate should keep its focus on repeal and replace of Obamacare.”
Ryan’s opposition alongside Trump’s may deal a death blow to the nascent bipartisan deal just announced on Tuesday.
Trump earlier encouraged Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., to continue bipartisan talks for a deal that makes cost-sharing reduction payments to Obamacare insurers in exchange for reforms to the law.
The two senators announced a deal that makes the payments, which reimburse insurers for lowering copays and deductibles for poor Obamacare customers, for two years in exchange for expanding catastrophic plans and giving states more flexibility to waive Obamacare regulations.
Trump then threw the deal’s chances into chaos on Wednesday after he tweeted that he couldn’t support a “bailout” for Obamacare insurers. The sentiment is shared by many conservatives.
Ryan followed suit a few hours after that tweet. He also said last week that he couldn’t support any deal that would add more money to Obamacare.
Alexander tweeted he will work with Trump to make the deal stronger to ensure that the payments benefit consumers and not insurers.
