Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, President-elect Donald Trump remained resolute in his determination that neither Social Security nor Medicare should be impacted by efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.
And, despite yet another false narrative from congressional Democrats, perpetuated by a complicit liberal mainstream media, Trump is remaining committed to his word during the campaign, incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said during Tuesday’s transition daily press briefing. In fact, the president-elect was scheduled to meet with Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Secretary of Health and Human Services-designate Tom Price and Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designate Seema Verma later in the day to discuss the options for an immediate replacement to Obamacare that retains both Social Security and Medicare.
“I think you see he’s continuing to discuss the options, including the meeting later today,” Spicer said. “And, he’s working with Congress to come up with a solution. He’s committed to repealing and replacing it with something that does what the ACA promised, which is to lower costs for Americans.
“Unlike when Nancy Pelosi said we have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it, the president-elect wants to make sure this is being done right. That way, people won’t have to wake up and wonder what happened the next day.”
Spicer was asked if the recent conversations with congressional Republicans has put other issues, such as tax reform, on the incoming administration’s back burner. He responded that Trump has “a lot of priorities” that he hopes to act upon simultaneously and that it’s not a case of “one or the other”—Obamacare repeal and replacement or tax reform—so he continues to work with Congress and coordinate in an effort to put together legislation that reflects those priorities.
DeVos Confirmation
The confirmation hearings for Secretary of Education-designate Betsy DeVos have been postponed to next week due to a scheduling conflict on the Senate’s side. After a reporter suggested it was due to problems with DeVos’ confirmation paperwork, Spicer corrected the record.
“All of her paperwork was in ahead of schedule, and she looks forward to a swift confirmation,” he said. “If you look at this, there are really three components: the committee questionnaires, the FBI background checks and the confirmation hearings. All of our nominees’ paperwork was turned in ahead of schedule.
“If you look at 2009 with President Obama’s nominees, there were some cases where the committees didn’t have all the paperwork. Same thing with some of President Bush’s nominees. So, we’re way ahead of previous administrations in that regard.”
The postponement of DeVos’ hearing is not expected to delay her confirmation vote, which remains tentatively scheduled for Jan. 24.
Wednesday Press Conference
The president-elect will hold a press conference Wednesday morning at Trump Tower to discuss how he intends to divest himself of his business interests with the Trump Organization. The conference will begin at 11 a.m. EST.
It has been widely assumed his business interests would be divided between his sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, and perhaps his daughter, Ivanka. However, Ivanka has relocated to Washington, D.C., where her husband, Jared Kushner, has accepted a post as senior adviser to Trump in the new administration.
Passing the Baton
Spicer also noted that National Security Adviser-designate Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (ret.) and Deputy National Security Adviser-designate K.T. McFarland will take part in an event with Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice at the U.S. Institute of Peace. This “passing the baton” event has become a traditional part of the transition from one administration to the next in Washington, D.C.
The event will focus on national security and foreign policy. The day’s events focus on a frank discussion about the global challenges facing the U.S. in the coming months and years. {eoa}
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