House Speaker Mike Johnson raised a few eyebrows this week, targeting the Affordable Care Act in ways most congressional Republicans tend to avoid. At a campaign event in Pennsylvania on Monday, the Louisiana congressman told a crowd there would be “massive” health care changes in the United States if Donald Trump returns to power. “Health care reform’s going to be a big part of the agenda,” the GOP leader added.
The House speaker has since claimed that he was taken out of context, but a video from the event doesn’t do him any favors. When an attendee asked at the event, “No Obamacare?” Congress’ top Republican leader replied, “No Obamacare.”
One far-right lawmaker on Capitol Hill was apparently pleased with the rhetoric. USA Today reported:
Other Republicans have continued pushing to end the health care legislation. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, reposted Johnson’s comments on Thursday and wrote: ‘Kill Obamacare now.’
This seems like a good time to pause and take stock.
- Trump tried to destroy the Affordable Care Act; he continues to denounce the popular and effective reform law; and he recently touted undefined “concepts of a plan” to replace the ACA.
- The former president’s running mate, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, also recently shared details about his plans to weaken protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions — which came on the heels of the Ohio senator leaving ACA repeal on the table in a possible second term for Trump.
- The GOP’s House speaker wants “massive” changes to federal health care policy.
- Republican Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, who’d likely chair the Senate Finance Committee if the GOP retakes control of the chamber, said last fall that he’s open to repeal-and-replace plans.
- Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who’s running to be the Senate GOP’s leader in the next Congress, also said a year ago, “I think Obamacare has been one of the biggest deceptions on the American people.”
- And now another prominent GOP senator is abandoning all subtlety, telling the public in the election cycle’s final days that he wants to “kill” the health care law.
While the outcome of the elections remains to be seen, it’s quite possible that Republicans will soon control the levers of federal power again, at which point Americans’ health security will be at risk.
Let no one say the public wasn’t warned before Election Day. Mike Lee’s tweet was, if nothing else, a late-in-the-cycle wake up to voters who take health care seriously.
