Mulvaney: Trump Thinks O’Care Should ‘Hurt’ Insurance Providers, Lawmakers

Budget Director Mick Mulvaney speaks to reporters during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Budget Director Mick Mulvaney speaks to reporters during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney on Sunday said President Donald Trump threatened to cut Obamacare provisions because he thinks the law should “hurt insurance companies” and lawmakers if they can’t corral enough votes to repeal it.

Asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” about Trump’s threat on Saturday to end subsidies that affect low-income individuals, Mulvaney said he “talked to the President at length about that exact issue yesterday.”

“I think his attitude is this, and his attitude is pretty simple,” Mulvaney said. “What he’s saying is, look, if Obamacare is hurting people — and it is — then why shouldn’t it hurt insurance companies and more importantly perhaps for this discussion, members of Congress?”

Trump in a tweet Saturday threatened to end “BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress” — the former referring to cost sharing reduction payments and the latter appearing to refer to the employer contribution for lawmakers’ health insurance.

“I think the President’s simply looking at this and going, is this fair?” Mulvaney said. “We’ll see what happens as we move forward.”

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