Republicans in Congress plan an “aggressive” and “very serious” legislative agenda next year, but will probably not repeal Obamacare in time for President-elect Trump to sign it his first day in office.
In a wide-ranging interview with reporters, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said the House in 2017 will be in session “more days” than past GOP-led sessions, and will tackle an agenda that includes repealing and replacing the healthcare law, increasing border security, reforming the tax code and shoring up entitlements.
McCarthy said House lawmakers will take up a 2017 budget early next year, but not before Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, the day Trump had once hoped to sign legislation repealing Obamacare.
“Can I get that done before the 20th? I think that is very tough,” McCarthy told the Washington Examiner.
Congress convenes on Jan. 3 but often gavels back out until after the 20th in inaugural years. Republican lawmakers plan to repeal the law using reconciliation, a budgetary tool that requires only 51 votes for passage in the Senate.
McCarthy told reporters Congress could pass legislation to repeal Obamacare and include a phase-out period during which the House, Senate and Trump administration could write a replacement for the law.
House Republicans this year released a proposal for replacing Obamacare that includes tax credits and legalizing the purchase of insurance across state lines. McCarthy said the House would likely introduce a replacement bill based on that plan, but would also solicit ideas from state insurance commissioners, governors and the Trump administration.
“At the end of the day we will repeal and replace it with something that fundamentally works,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy said the House will be in session more legislative days than in past years in order to take up legislation that will likely include tax reform and border security.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who joined McCarthy at the meeting with reporters, said congressional Republicans plan an agenda that is “interesting and aggressive.”
The GOP will be in control of the House, Senate and White House for the first time since early in the administration of President George W. Bush. The to-do list could even includes reforming Medicare, McCarthy said.
Republicans have proposed plans to reduce the cost of Medicare by increasing the age of eligibility and replacing the program with a voucher-like system that has drawn criticism from Democrats.
But the program costs have skyrocketed, threatening its solvency.
“We want to be able to save Medicare,” McCarthy said. “You have to be able to deal with” entitlements.
