Republican senators hesitating to support their party leadership’s healthcare bill might want to take a look at the president’s Twitter.
In a tweet posted Monday morning, Trump provided potential defectors with a glimpse into how he’ll handle them in the case that Congress adjourns for the August recess without passing reform legislation.
I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2017
This approach was hinted at last month when a White House-sanctioned outside group launched an ad campaign against Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., one of the Republican Party’s most vulnerable incumbents in 2018. The ad attacked Heller for his opposition to the bill.
Leaders in the Senate have failed to rally adequate support for their Better Care Reconciliation Act, struggling to bridge the gap between centrists who fear the bill’s cuts are too steep and conservatives who fear it keeps too much of Obamacare in tact. If Congress leaves for the August recess without passing reform legislation, the Trump administration will head into the fall without a single legislative accomplishment under its belt, despite holding majorities in both the House and Senate.
Eager to apply some pressure on hesitant senators, with his tweet on Monday Trump let potential defectors know he won’t go easy if they end up obstructing the bill. Clear from his language was that the White House will shrug blame for the failure onto opponents of Senate leadership’s legislation, rather than acknowledging its shortcomings. If Trump’s tweet is any indication, and it’s safe to assume it is, the argument will be that each of these senators was elected on their pledge to repeal Obamacare and they all failed to act when they had the opportunity.
If the bill fails and the president goes after the upper chamber’s reluctant members, it could seriously hurt the White House’s working relationship with key senators needed to pass additional reforms on the Trump agenda such as Sens. Ted Cruz, Lisa Murkowski, Mike Lee, and Susan Collins.
Given the GOP’s almost decade-long focus on repealing Obamacare, such attacks could open significant wounds in the party.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
