SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.

* indicates required
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Trump White House Ridiculously Blames Democrats for Republicans' Repeal Failure

White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressed anger Tuesday at senators who didn't back the Republican effort to repeal Obamacare. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty)

Trump White House Ridiculously Blames Democrats for Republicans' Repeal Failure

In closed press briefing, deputy press secretary condemns Democrats for defending their own law from repeal effort

At the latest off-camera press briefing Tuesday, Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made clear the official White House position on who is to blame for the Republican failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act: the Democrats.

Two proposals for a plan that would replace the law with new legislation failed over the two weeks, and a third plan to repeal the law without replacing it floundered Tuesday after three senators announced they would not support it.

In the briefing, Sanders said Democrats have been "unwilling to work with Republicans in any capacity to help fix" the ACA.

Although 13 Republicans wrote the bill behind closed doors, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the effort to repeal Obamacare would "have to be a Republicans-only exercise," Sanders claimed that Democrats have "been the ones that have been completely unwilling to even come to the table to be part of the discussion."

She also noted that since Democrats are responsible for passing the ACA in 2010, "they are responsible for the mess we're in."

While Americans on both sides of the aisle have acknowledged improvements that could be made to the ACA, the National Center for Health Statistics has found that since the law passed, nearly 20 million Americans who were previously uninsured have been able to purchase health insurance through state marketplaces. The law has also become more popular in recent months as Republicans have threatened to repeal it.

An Unconstitutional Rampage


Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next.

It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk.

Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support.

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.