House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Friday morning called out Republicans for moving forward on a House bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act without first seeing an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.
“They are afraid of that,” Pelosi said during a breakfast in Washington, DC, for reporters hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, referring to a CBO score that would project how much the bill would cost and how many people would lose their health insurance.
The minority leader said that Democrats did not move forward with the Affordable Care Act in 2009 without the CBO report, and she noted that Republicans at the time called for the CBO to weigh in on the bill before lawmakers began to assess the legislation. She said that Republicans’ views on the CBO report have been “inconsistent.”
Pelosi also criticized Republicans’ focus on “access” to coverage.
“It’s a ridiculous argument for them to make,” she said, adding that Republicans are either “ill-informed” or they are talking about “access for people with resources.”
As Republicans struggle to gain widespread support in their caucus for the bill, Pelosi reiterated that Democrats will not help pass the plan.
“I don’t see any Democratic votes for what they’re doing,” she told reporters.
Asked if she would be willing to talk to President Donald Trump as he works to gain support for the Republican repeal bill, Pelosi indicated that “bowling at the White House” would not earn him any support.
“I find the charm offensive offensive, I really do,” she said. “I think he’s making fools of his own people, quite frankly.”
She said that inviting people who disagree with aspects of the legislation to the White House will not on its own help Trump gain support. She indicated she would be willing to meet with Trump only if he were ready to talk about the particulars of the legislation.
Pelosi also dismissed Trump’s reported back-up plan to repeal — letting Obamacare fail on its own and blaming Democrats. She said the plan is “indicative of his lack of knowledge of the Affordable Care Act.”
