
House Speaker John Boehner says GOP health bill will pass House, Obama vetoes
- August 23, 2021
Republicans are poised to win a major victory on a controversial health care bill in the House, but the president is still expected to veto it.
The White House on Wednesday said President Donald Trump’s administration would not be “significantly” better off from a health care deal with Democrats if the House passes the legislation.
In a statement, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump would veto the bill if it was signed by the president.
The legislation would allow insurance companies to sell health insurance plans that cover only the sickest of patients.
Democrats have long objected to the proposal, saying it will cost the government too much money.
The bill was originally approved by the House on May 25 and sent to the Senate on Wednesday.
Trump on Wednesday announced his opposition to the legislation, saying he wanted to see what the Congressional Budget Office had to say about its effect on premiums and deductibles.
“If they make this better, I’ll sign it,” Trump said.
Spicer said on Wednesday that the president was still looking at the bill and “will be making a decision about whether he will sign or veto it as we speak.”
On Tuesday, Republicans had hoped to pass a health bill, the American Health Care Act, by early next week.
But they pulled the legislation after the White House refused to give the House a CBO score, a requirement for lawmakers to present the legislation to the White the Senate.
The CBO scored the bill’s most significant provisions, including the tax credits that would help people purchase insurance and a measure that would expand Medicaid.
The Senate passed the bill with a 52-48 margin, and the House passed it with a 51-48 majority on May 26.
Democrats, who have called the bill a “bailout for insurance companies” and are urging Republicans to withdraw their support, are pushing for a public option to help lower premiums and help more people afford health insurance.