Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of trying to hide the real impact of their Obamacare replacement measure by attempting to discredit Congress’ own budget research arm, the Congressional Budget Office, before it issues its analysis of the bill’s impact on the federal deficit.
House Republicans released their much-anticipated bill aimed at replacing the Affordable Care Act earlier this week before the CBO had a chance to “score” the bill — which details how it would impact taxes and spending over the next 10 years.
Schumer, in remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, said Republicans are trying to rush the bill through Congress and onto President Trump’s desk before the CBO releases its score because they are afraid of the office’s likely findings.
“I believe the Congressional Budget Office when they score it, they’ll ultimately show America everything America needs to know,” the New York Democrat said in his remarks. “How this bill will likely hurt overall coverage numbers and affordability, and at the same time, explode the deficit.”
“So you’re getting worse healthcare and exploding the deficit — what kind of combination is that?” he asked. “No wonder the Republican leadership in the House is trying to rush through the bill even without a score — they don’t want the American people to see it — I don’t even think they want their own members a chance to study it.”
A statement released by Schumer points to remarks GOP lawmakers have made this week arguing that the CBO has been inaccurate in its predictions of the impact of Obamacare on the deficit and its projections of how many Americans would gain insurance coverage.
“If you go back to what CBO predicted would be covered on the exchanges today [under the ACA], they’re only off by only a two-to-one ratio,” Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., told reporters, according to a Politico article Schumer’s office cited. CBO said “21 million projected would be covered, but only 10 million people are covered.”
Instead of relying on the CBO, as they have called on Democrats to do in the past, the GOP is releasing its own estimates put out by the Office of Management and Budget, which is part of the Trump administration and run by former Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
