Regardless of being answerable for the White Home and Congress, Republicans have been unable to cross their well being care agenda. We have a look at why that is the case, in addition to a brand new lawsuit towards the president.
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
One other week handed with out lawmakers with the ability to agree on a well being care plan with the present subsidies expiring in lower than three weeks. And a brand new plan that replaces the Inexpensive Care Act – usually referred to as Obamacare – is one thing President Trump has been promising for years. Right here he’s in 2011, talking on the Conservative Political Motion Convention in Washington, D.C.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I’ll combat to finish Obamacare and change it – change it with one thing that is sensible for folks and enterprise and never bankrupt the nation.
RASCOE: Quick ahead 14 years, and right here he’s on Thursday night time at a White Home vacation get together.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TRUMP: And I actually consider we will work on well being care collectively and give you one thing that is going to be a lot better, a lot inexpensive for the folks, inexpensive for our nation.
RASCOE: However to this point, neither the president nor his get together have give you a plan that’ll cross Congress. We’re joined now by NPR senior White Home correspondent Tamara Keith. Good morning.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Good morning, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So, you understand, issues are at this crucial stage, however Republicans are answerable for the White Home in addition to Congress. Is there a approach for them to show well being care right into a win for his or her get together?
KEITH: I imply, something is feasible. There are 24 million individuals who get their insurance coverage on the Inexpensive Care Act exchanges, and an evaluation by KFF estimates that they are going to see their insurance coverage premiums greater than double with out an extension of those tax credit, however there is not a cohesive Republican plan or place. The get together is absolutely divided amongst itself. President Trump is not engaged within the particulars and definitely is not throwing his weight behind getting one thing handed. Dueling Republican and Democratic plans failed within the Senate final week. The Home heads residence for the vacations on Thursday. So the clock is absolutely ticking on an answer, and it simply would not seem like there’s sufficient Republican assist for a clear extension of the tax credit, at the very least not but. If folks need protection on January 1, they’ve to enroll in a plan by tomorrow. So that is what I imply by the clock ticking.
RASCOE: Nicely, is there any polling on this to point out how the president’s base feels about these, you understand, ACA subsidies expiring?
KEITH: KFF polled individuals who get their protection by the marketplaces. So these are folks that might be immediately affected by the tax credit expiring. In that group, 72% of Republicans say Congress ought to prolong the tax credit. Additionally in accordance with KFF, practically 6 in 10 individuals who get their insurance coverage by the ACA marketplaces reside in congressional districts which are represented by a Republican.
RASCOE: OK. So turning to a brand new lawsuit towards the president now. He is being sued by a preservation group over his White Home ballroom renovations. What’s that about, and the way is the White Home responding?
KEITH: Yeah. The Nationwide Belief for Historic Preservation is making an attempt to briefly halt development on the $300 billion ballroom. They’re arguing that the Trump administration hasn’t gone by the correct approvals. You may keep in mind in October, your entire East Wing of the White Home was demolished to make approach for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. That was with none plans being submitted to the suitable commissions for approval and with out public remark till after the actual fact, when there was a variety of destructive public remark. Now there are cranes and pile drivers working on the White Home grounds, however nonetheless no plans submitted. The president says he loves the sound, however Carol Quillen, the president and CEO of the Nationwide Belief for Historic Preservation, is anxious by the dearth of transparency and public enter.
CAROL QUILLEN: We really feel like we’ve got no alternative right here. We have to fulfill our mission. We have to converse on behalf of the American public, and we have to make the case that these processes are essential and that respecting them issues as a result of our historical past issues.
KEITH: White Home spokesman Davis Ingle advised me, quote, “President Trump has full authorized authority to modernize, renovate and beautify the White Home, identical to all of his predecessors did.”
RASCOE: And briefly within the time we’ve got left, President Trump stated yesterday that there could be, quote, “very severe retaliation” after two U.S. service members and an American civilian had been killed in an ISIS assault in Syria. Do we all know extra about what that may entail?
KEITH: We don’t. President Trump spoke briefly on the south garden of the White Home, saying that he blames the Islamic terrorist group ISIS for the assault and stated it was an assault on each Syria and the US. In a submit on social media, Trump stated that Syria’s president is extraordinarily indignant and disturbed by the assault and that it was in an space that isn’t absolutely managed by the federal government.
RASCOE: That is NPR senior White Home correspondent Tamara Keith. Thanks, Tam.
KEITH: You are welcome.
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional data.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts might fluctuate. Transcript textual content could also be revised to appropriate errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org could also be edited after its unique broadcast or publication. The authoritative document of NPR’s programming is the audio document.
