Conservative Hugh Hewitt argued Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan should try to reach a deal with Democrats on healthcare reform, now that it’s clear Republicans can’t pass one on their own.
“The GOP Congress has failed. Unless there’s a Lazarus-like resurrection of the health-care bill, the session is effectively over. Tax reform isn’t likely going to do any better than health-care reform,” Hewitt wrote in a Washington Post op-ed.
Hewitt said McConnell and Ryan could pivot from healthcare to “racking up small victories and awaiting reinforcements from the 2018 elections.”
“Or they could go for a big deal with Democrats. It’s a tough choice for Ryan and McConnell, but I’m hoping they opt for the latter,” Hewitt said.
The radio talk show host said President Trump’s “watch it fail” approach to Obamacare is “not just bad politics; it is also immoral.” Fixing Obamacare would be “risky,” but “not impossible.”
Hewitt said Republicans could have a stronger hold on the Senate after 2018. He expects Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., to lose next year as a result of his leading role as a repeal and replace doubter.
In the House, Ryan faces a serious challenge ensuring enough rank-and-file members are re-elected to maintain the majority. House Freedom Caucus members are much to blame for the healthcare reform fallout, Hewitt said.
“The alternative to waiting for 2019 is a bipartisan approach — if Democrats will have it. A health-care deal could be done, leaving the fringes of both party caucuses on the outside looking in. Devolution of authority over Medicaid to the states, and repeal of the insurance mandate and absurd taxes such as the medical device tax, are the GOP must-haves,” Hewitt said. “The Democrats will have their list.”
If party leaders can weave immigration reform and defense spending into the bill, the odds of success increase. Hewitt argued the more moving parts in the deal, the better the chances of a bill’s passage. He recommended tossing in a settlement on the judicial confirmation battle Senate Democrats have put up against Republicans.
“The 2018 prospects look bad for both parties,” Hewitt concluded. “Both parties have cause for concern. We are at a crisis point where citizens are giving up on representative government en masse. So why not swing for the fences?”
