Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Last Call For Terminal Trumpcare

Yesterday, America found out that the CBO score for Trumpcare was so awful that it set Republicans scrambling for explanations.  Today, with brutal headlines across the country in print and on TV, suddenly it looks like Trumpcare may not even make it past the House, and the cracks in the unified GOP front are now showing.

A Republican congressman in Illinois has joined the growing ranks of those skeptical of the proposal to replace Obamacare favored by congressional leadership and the Trump administration.

"I want to learn more about the Medicaid piece, particularly in Illinois," Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) told Crain's Chicago Business on Tuesday. The publication reported Roskam said twice that "yes," that meant he was open to changes in how the bill treats Medicaid.

Roskam, according to the publication, called the American Health Care Act "very much a work in progress" that was subject to change.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated in a report published Monday that the ACHA would cut federal spending on Medicaid by $880 billion over 10 years.

Roskam's district is Illinois' 6th, the tony Chicagoland suburbs west of the Loop.  It's a solid Republican district to say the least, he's been in the House for 10 years and knows how to play the game. The 6th used to be run by Henry Hyde (of the infamous Hyde Amendment) and Roskam used to work in Tom DeLay's office before he took over the 6th (and yes, he used to serve as a State Senator along with a fellow by the name of Barack Obama).  Currently he's on the House Ways and Means Committee, which means he has no small amount of clout and even more safety, politically speaking.

Which means if Roskam is already in panic mode over Trumpcare changes, in under 24 hours since the CBO score, in a blood-red district, this bill is in a lot more trouble than people realize.

Pull up a chair.  Roskam won't be the first to crack in the House.

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