John Barrasso, R-Wyo., left, and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, walks to meet to with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 9, 2017, following a policy luncheon. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said in an interview, describing the Kentucky Republican's request to GOP senators during a lunch.
Says Capito: "We should have open meetings". And they did. They said the government-controlled markets wouldn't work.
"You'll see these optics addressed", the official said, declining to name which female senators will join the group.
McConnell, the Kentucky Republican, disputed the idea that only the working group would draft the new health care bill. And the lack of diversity had drawn criticism.
The GOP victory should be enjoyed only as relief that a Republican-controlled House of Representatives could finally pass a bill that reduces health care for most Americans without a Democratic vote.
"The working group is all 52 of us", he argued, refusing to say whether there were any plans to add a woman. "Nobody is being excluded based upon gender ..."
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is already showing signs that the AHCA could face some problems going forward.
LUPICA: Trump, the jobs president, will fire you if you anger him
The probe overseen by the House Select Committee on Intelligence is now a tangled mess, given the move by chairman Rep. Comey in early May could lead one to believe the Trump White House is attempting to scuttle the investigation.
The core group of 13 Republican senators tasked with crafting health care legislation to repeal Obamacare is under fire for not including any women senators, NBC News reports.
Members of a working group appointed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., met privately Tuesday and said their discussions centered on Medicaid, the health care program for poor and disabled people. The House bill would cut federal spending on Medicaid by $880 billion over 10 years. Currently, 32 states, including D.C., have expanded Medicaid eligibility criteria because of Obamacare.
Senator Susan Collins of ME, a moderate Republican whose vote will be critical to getting a bill to Trump's desk and who voiced similar concerns, said the Senate would not take up the House bill.
Then, of course, there is the mistruth that undergirds the whole repeal-and-replace crusade: that Obamacare is facing inevitable collapse. Just 16 percent of respondents said they support that provision.
Ganschow says the new health care bill also puts those with pre-existing conditions like heart disease or diabetes at risk, since states could seek a waiver to opt-out of requirements that now protect these patients. Only 6% of Democrats and 18% of independents have a favorable opinion of the plan.
The House Republican health bill, passed on a razor-think 217-213 vote last week, "guts coverage for essential benefits like pregnancy and maternity care, imposes sweeping restrictions on reproductive care, defunds Planned Parenthood and allows discrimination against breast cancer survivors and women with pre-existing conditions", said DelBene. "Finally, in order to make sure that members of Congress and congressional staff are subject to the same regulations as all Americans, we also passed a stand-alone bill, H.R. 2192 to ensure this remains the case".
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