West Wing Reads

The Time has come for Republicans to Repeal and Replace

Larry Elder in Real Clear Politics acknowledges Republicans have a tough path forward in repealing and replacing Obamacare, but he also reminds us of the Democrats’ ultimate goal: a single-payer system. During the 2008 presidential campaign, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s healthcare proposals: “I think while someday we may end up with a single-payer system, it's clear that we're not going to do it all at once, so I think both candidates' health care plans are a big step forward." As Mr. Elder points out: “In other words, Obamacare was just a steppingstone along the path,” noting it “was intended to fail.” It’s now up to Republicans to chart a new course.
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In The Washington Post, health care expert Avik Roy writes that the beginning of debate on Obamacare repeal in the Senate “is a critical milestone in the effort to make American health care more sustainable and affordable.”

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CNBC reports on Wednesday’s announcement at the White House that Foxconn “will invest $10 billion to create a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Wisconsin,” creating 3,000 jobs that could eventually grow to 13,000 jobs.

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Greg Ip at The Wall Street Journal writes on the insidious “myth of Trump’s do-nothing presidency.” As Ip notes, “(t)o gauge a president’s impact you have to go beyond the laws he signs to the vast authority he wields through departments and agencies that apply the law. On that score, Mr. Trump is on track to do a lot.” According to Sofie Miller of George Washington University’s Regulatory Studies Center, “(t)he latest update on regulatory actions released last week by the White House Office of Management and Budget contained 1,731 preliminary, proposed or final rules, down 40% from its peak under Mr. Obama in 2011 and a 17-year low.”

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In USA Today, Joseph Murray argues President Trump’s military transgender ban helps protect military readiness – that with “North Korea, Syria and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria posing serious threats, the U.S. military needs to be focused on defeating these enemies and not locker rooms, restrooms and re-assignment surgeries.”

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Emily Jashinsky in the Washington Examiner looks at a Military Times/Institute for Veterans and Military Families poll, which reported more than three-to-one service members were against an Obama-era policy to allow transgender individuals from serving openly in the military, with 41 percent saying it hurt military readiness, and only 12 percent saying it helped.