President Trump is famously averse to germs. But congressional Republicans say they nevertheless want him to start getting his hands dirty.
The president has been largely absent from the legislative process, declining to tell Republicans on Capitol Hill exactly where he stands on key issues and allowing internal divisions on policy to fester.
The time has come, Republicans say, for Trump to personally join the legislative process, quell intraparty bickering, and build consensus among GOP factions so that the party can accomplish health care reform and other priorities.
Trump’s disciplined speech to a joint session of Congress boosted their confidence in his leadership as they navigate politically thorny efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare and overhaul the tax code.
But Trump still has more to prove to House and Senate Republicans anxious about his ability to govern after a chaotic first few weeks, GOP insiders said Wednesday in interviews with the Washington Examiner.
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said Trump’s participation is “very important” to successful outcomes. “There are differences of opinion. But at the end of the day we need to come together. The alternative is not acceptable.”
The president and Republican leaders met at the White House on Wednesday for a session billed as kickstarting the health reform process.
Republicans have plenty of ideas for replacing the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s signature law. The problem is, they can’t agree on which set of ideas to adopt. Legislation could be unveiled on Thursday; it may be considered in committee later this month.
Conservative insurgents want a clean break with Obamacare, and propose replacing it with minimalist legislation that relies heavily on market forces to sort out what kind of coverage is available to consumers.
Pragmatic conservatives and moderates want Washington to ensure a basic level of insurance, similar to what is offered under Obamacare, and phase it in over an extended period of time to prevent disruptions. This is the approach Trump endorsed in his joint session speech.
Republicans hold 52 seats in the Senate and 237 in the House. That means they can afford just two defections in the Senate and 19 in the House, and, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking any tie in the Senate, still have enough votes to pass certain health reform measures.
Democrats are expected to provide very few votes, if any.
That is why Republican insiders say it’s time for Trump to negotiate a deal. They want the president to crack the whip, if necessary, and get conservative insurgents, who are a minority of Republicans in Congress, to join with their colleagues and support a consensus bill.
“We need a strong leader,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said. “Him following up from the speech with ideas, with being able to talk to people individually, is going to be extremely essential.”
Republicans have a lot riding on healthcare reform.
The GOP base is adamant that Obamacare is repealed. Rank-and-file voters are more interested in seeing improvements to a health care system plagued with problems related to access and cost.
Congressional Republicans have established a sequential approach to health care and tax reform. This strategy was dictated by the schedule for funding the government and Senate rules for sidestepping the filibuster, which Democrats are sure to use to try to block Obamacare repeal.
Until the repeal bill is passed and the health care overhaul is well under way, Republicans can’t move tax reform legislation. An extended delay in completing Obamacare repeal would also delay tax reform, jeopardizing the ability to complete it this year.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has established an ambitious schedule that calls for completing tax reform by the end of July, when Congress is scheduled to adjourn for the August recess.
Trump is going to have to be intimately involved, “in more ways than just tweeting,” a Republican House aide said, or the process could break down amid infighting between Republicans in the House and Senate, not to mention cross-chamber disputes.
That is going to require the kind of focus the president displayed during his one-hour speech Tuesday evening — but over an extended period of time, many months, possibly. And it needs a White House that really does run like a fine-tuned machine, as Trump dubiously claims it does.
“Members are excited but still waiting to see if this was all an act,” said a second aide to a congressional Republican. “It is clear he can deliver when he is controlled and disciplined. But the problem has been just that — whether control and discipline wins out over chaos and score settling.”
Al Weaver contributed to this report.
