Healthcare’s brief bipartisan moment

Amid the chaos of the Obamacare repeal-and-replace fight, two senators have been working on a bipartisan, short-term fix to give insurers stability.

Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) lead the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Together they unveiled a draft plan on Tuesday, the product of months of negotiations, to fund the Affordable Care Act’s cost-sharing subsidies in exchange for giving states increased flexibility on the law’s regulations.

President Donald Trump announced last week the federal government would stop making the roughly $8 billion per year subsidy payments, prompting Alexander and Murray to roll out details of their plan. Trump initially signaled support for the short-term fix but changed his mind Tuesday night.

“While I commend the bipartisan work done by Senators Alexander and Murray—and I do commend it—I continue to believe Congress must find a solution to the Obamacare mess instead of providing bailouts to insurance companies,” Trump said during a speech to the Heritage Foundation.

On Wednesday morning, Trump doubled down on that message in a tweet: “I am supportive of Lamar as a person & also of the process, but I can never support bailing out ins co’s who have made a fortune w/ O’Care.”

Alexander and Murray still want to move forward with the bill but now face an uphill battle to win the president’s support. Democrats want the bill to pass as quickly as possible to prop up Obamacare. But Alexander must convince Senate conservatives the bill doesn’t amount to giving up on the Obamacare repeal effort. He’ll also have to convince Trump the deal has merit—that it benefits Americans and not insurers.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Wednesday that Trump does not support the Alexander-Murray plan in its current form. She called it a good step in the right direction but not a full solution to the problem.

The bill faces another major hurdle in the form of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has not signaled his support. McConnell has the final say on whether the bill will come to the floor for a vote. The bill also faces an uncertain future in the House, where Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., doesn’t like the plan and it would be impossible to pass without his OK.

Travel ban, strike three

A federal judge halted President Donald Trump’s new executive order on travel and refugees this week. This marks the third consecutive Trump travel ban to hit a roadblock in court.

The latest order halted travel from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. Trump’s order also limits travelers from North Korea and some officials of Venezuela’s government.

In the interest of national security, Trump first attempted in January to block travel from terror-prone countries and temporarily halt the U.S. refugee program. He wasn’t successful then and subsequent versions haven’t fared better.

His second order went to the Supreme Court for consideration. The high court allowed parts of the travel ban to remain in effect until it could hear oral arguments. But Trump decided to issue a third order to replace the first two, canceling the need for a date with the Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, a federal court judge in Hawaii barred implementation of the third travel order. The judge ruled the administration had not adequately justified the action.

“Under the law of this circuit, these provisions do not afford the president unbridled discretion to do as he pleases,” U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson wrote in his opinion. “[The order] requires that the president find that the entry of a class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.”

The Justice Department is expected to appeal Watson’s ruling as well as a second, related opinion from a federal judge in Maryland. The appeal sets up another potential date with the Supreme Court.

Republican presidents selected five of the nine current Supreme Court justices, giving Trump an edge on paper. But government lawyers must still show why the order boosts U.S. national security and doesn’t discriminate against classes of people. —E.W.

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Best buddies?

President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., tried to bury the hatchet this week. After lunching together Monday, the two told reporters their relationship has never been better. “Despite what we read, we’re probably now, I think, at least as far as I’m concerned, closer than ever before,” Trump said. “Our relationship is very good.” Republicans are in the middle of a critical push to coalesce around tax reform legislation before the end of the year. The GOP needs a win to keep its base happy. Another legislative failure could fray the party in 2018. Several conservative groups have already lost faith in McConnell, and together with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, they’re ready to oust the Senate leader and any Republican who supports him. Trump openly criticized McConnell during the Capitol Hill battle for healthcare reform. The House passed a bill to repeal large parts of Obamacare, garnering Trump’s stamp of approval. But the Senate is more ideologically divided, and McConnell could not secure the votes needed to pass reforms, despite multiple attempts. Trump thinks McConnell needs to ax the Senate’s legislative filibuster rule, but the leader still has no appetite for that. For now, the two are saving face and crossing their fingers that tax reform can pass before 2018. “We have the same agenda,” McConnell said. “We’ve been friends and acquaintances for a long time.” —E.W.

Cochran insists he won’t retire

Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., the 79-year-old head of the powerful Appropriations Committee, told reporters on Wednesday he did not intend to retire. Rumors started swirling earlier this week that Cochran, who has suffered from several health issues in recent years, might be ready to step down from his 44-year career in Congress. According to Politico, Cochran appeared disoriented Wednesday, had to be directed by aides to the Senate chamber, and voted the wrong way on a proposed amendment despite being told repeatedly he wanted to vote “no” instead of “yes.” Cochran, who is up for reelection in 2020, faced significant opposition in Mississippi’s Republican primary in 2014, barely defeating a conservative challenger. —Leigh Jones

All in the family

Greg Pence, one of Vice President Mike Pence’s older brothers, plans to seek election to Congress. Pence filed tax documents this week indicating he would run for the eastern Indiana congressional seat held by the vice president before he became governor. Pence once ran a family-owned chain of convenience stores that went bankrupt and now owns an antique store. Republican insiders in the state consider Pence a strong candidate, and he’s likely to win the strongly conservative district. —L.J.

Callista Gingrich gets ambassadorship approval

Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, won confirmation from the Senate on Monday to assume her duties as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. Twenty Democrats joined Republicans to approve the nomination 70-23. Gingrich, a Catholic, married the former congressman after carrying on a six-year affair with him while he was married to another woman. Trump nominated her to the ambassador’s position in July. —L.J.

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