- \n
Factbox: Trump on Twitter (Sept 20) – Graham-Cassidy bill, Luther Strange<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cStop using my name, OK? Because I don\u2019t want my name on it. There\u2019s a new \u2018Jimmy Kimmel test\u2019 for you. It\u2019s called the lie detector test. You\u2019re welcome to stop by the studio and take it any time,\u201d he said to cheers from his audience. <\/p>\n
While Cassidy gave a measured response to Kimmel\u2019s remarks, Graham blasted the comedian. <\/p>\n
\u201cI bet you he never called Senator Cassidy and said would you please set this straight?\u201d Graham said on Fox News Channel\u2019s \u201cFox Friends\u201d show. \u201cI bet he looked at some liberal talking point, bought it hook, line and sinker, and went after Bill Cassidy without talking to him. And I think that\u2019s unfair.\u201d <\/p>\n
Cassidy said his proposal would protect people who are already ill, although it does let states waive an Obamacare mandate that insurers cannot charge people who have pre-existing medical conditions more than those who are healthy. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2018m sorry he does not understand,\u201d Cassidy, a gastroenterologist who represents Louisiana, said of Kimmel on CNN. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a specific provision that says that if a state applies for a waiver, it must ensure that those with pre-existing conditions have affordable and adequate coverage,\u201d Cassidy said. <\/p>\n
The 2010 Affordable Care Act, dubbed Obamacare, was the top legislative achievement of Trump\u2019s Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, and replacing it was one of Trump\u2019s most repeated campaign promises. Previous Republican legislation failed in the Senate in July. <\/p>\n
TRUMP\u2018S ENDORSEMENT <\/p>\n
Trump, on Twitter, called the new measure \u201cgreat,\u201d adding: \u201cI hope Republican Senators will vote for Graham-Cassidy and fulfill their promise to Repeal Replace ObamaCare. Money direct to States!\u201d <\/p>\n
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Kimmel\u2019s comments do not change the need to ditch Obamacare. <\/p>\n
\u201cI certainly respect the position that he\u2019s in as a parent. He is speaking for the protection of his kid, as he should do,\u201d Sanders said on Fox News Channel\u2019s \u201cFox Friends\u201d show. \u201cBut at the same time, we have to have a program that actually works and we know that that\u2019s not Obamacare.\u201d <\/p>\n
Republican Senator John Kennedy, added, \u201cMr. Kimmel\u2019s a funny guy but I doubt very seriously he\u2019s read the bill.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate defeated by Trump in last year\u2019s election, weighed in on Wednesday, writing on Twitter, \u201cNothing is more important than saving the Affordable Care Act from another cruel effort to take health care away from millions of people.\u201d <\/p>\n
Republicans say the Affordable Care Act, dubbed Obamacare, is an example of government overreach into the healthcare system. Democrats point out that it has expanded health insurance coverage to some 20 million people. <\/p>\n
It remains unclear whether the Cassidy-Graham bill can win over enough wavering Republicans senators to win passage, including John McCain, whose \u201cno\u201d vote helped sink the last bill in July. Senate leaders are looking at a Sept. 30 deadline for passing it or moving on to other matters. <\/p>\n
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Committee has not yet assessed the effects of the new bill. The CBO had found that prior Republican legislation that failed in July would have deprived an estimated 22 million Americans of health insurance. <\/p>\n
Additional reporting by Eric Walsh and Roberta Rampton; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Bill Trott<\/p>\n
Article source: http:\/\/feeds.reuters.com\/~r\/Reuters\/PoliticsNews\/~3\/Y1GO3TiDaXg\/comedians-sharp-criticism-detours-republican-u-s-healthcare-drive-idUSKCN1BV1LN<\/a>\r\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The latest Republican drive to replace Obamacare was detoured on Wednesday by popular comedian Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s biting criticism of the proposal and accusation that one of its chief sponsors \u201clied right to my face\u201d about it, while President Donald Trump embraced the bill. Kimmel, who in May became an unexpected player in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[84],"class_list":["post-92005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-political","tag-political"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92005\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}