Republican Congressman Charlie Dent (R-PA) must sense a weakened Donald Trump to make this statement about Trumpcare.
Charlie Dent’s words on Trumpcare / tax cuts should be played in a loop
This Republican Congressman appeared on Meet The Press and pointed out that Trumpcare was designed to aid the GOP tax cuts. NBC Meet the Press’ Chuck Todd asked Congressman Dent to confirm the following New York Times Magazine excerpt.
According to an attendee, Trump angrily informed Dent that he was “destroying the Republican Party” and “was going to take down tax reform — and I’m going to blame you.”
“Is that how the President,” Todd asked. “Is that what the President said to you? And how did you respond?”
Congressman Dent’s answer was surprising and fearless.
“Well, I am not going to deny that,” Dent said. “I listened very respectfully to what the President had to say. But my bottom line is this. This discussion has been far too much about artificial timelines, arbitrary deadlines all to affect the baseline on tax reform. This conversation should be more about the people whose lives are going to be impacted by our decisions on their health care. We did not have enough of a substantive discussion. I am holding up a plan from Republican governors, from expansion states like mine, Kasich, Snyder, Sandoval, Hutchinson. They wanted to be part of this process. They were not brought in. I mean those kinds of issues are very important to me and to the people I represent and frankly to a lot of the members of Congress who are part of our Center Right group, The Tuesday Group. We are very concerned about the Medicaid changes. I can hold my ground.”
This statement by Dent is an important statement coming out of the mouth of a Republican. Yes, Senator Bernie Sanders and others have been making the point that Trumpcare was nothing but a tax cut bill shrouded in health care. But having the words out of both Trump’s mouth — “take down tax reform” — and Charlie Dent’s must be looped incessantly. We need to wrap it around their necks with consistency. The same consistency they have with lies about the Progressive agenda, we must have with spreading the truth about their regressive agenda.