Trump's First Big Sale: Rallying Republicans On Health Care

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 3/10/2017, 12:30 p.m.
President Donald Trump is going all-in on the House plan to replace Obamacare, deploying the full power of his office …
President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump is going all-in on the House plan to replace Obamacare, deploying the full power of his office to become the face of controversial legislation that is stirring a conservative revolt.

In the process, the one-time insurgent, who spent months blasting the Washington establishment, becomes the critical lever in making the GOP monopoly on power a vehicle to reshape the nation.

Trump will start traveling the country to stump for the plan, with visits expected to Kentucky and Tennessee in short order.

And the White House is plowing ahead to help House leadership sell this bill to the full Republican caucus, attending daily leadership meetings and "war room" meetings on the Hill, while also reaching out directly to members and outside advocacy groups that have taken issue with the House bill.

Trump has even invited members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus to go bowling at the White House -- and presumably talk about legislation between rolls.

The unveiling of the Republican bill to dismantle the central pillar of President Barack Obama's legacy was a significant moment in a new administration keen to make fundamental change.

But with conservative groups blasting the measure as "Obamacare Lite" and lawmakers like Sen. Rand Paul already warning it is "dead on arrival," the White House was forced to send Trump to center stage to rescue the bill's launch.

The idea of repealing Obamacare alone was once enough to unite the party, but differences on how to do it are beginning to tear at Hill Republicans.

One White House official acknowledged Wednesday that the administration could have done "more outreach" to conservative members of Congress and advocacy groups in the days and weeks leading up to the rollout of the House bill.

A senior administration official told CNN's Jeff Zeleny the "volume of blowback was a bit of a surprise," particularly on conservative websites and media.

Lawmakers are learning only political capital can drive big-ticket agenda items like health care reform into law. For a President who regards himself as the ultimate deal maker, the repeal of Obamacare represents a test of credibility after his campaign trail boasts about scoring big wins.

A legislative failure would not only enrage conservatives, it would cast doubt on the President's ability to enact his own ambitious agenda.

It appears Trump recognizes the risks.

"There's going to be no waiting, no more excuses by anybody, we're going to get it done," Trump told deputy Republican House whips at the White House during a brief appearance before reporters.

"I'm proud to support the replacement plan released by the House of Representatives. We're going to have something much more understood and more popular than people can even imagine," Trump said.

CNN's Lauren Fox, Deidre Walsh, Jeff Zeleny, Phil Mattingly, MJ Lee and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

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