Republicans are bracing for a "huge political headache" after Donald Trump "delivered nothing" during the government shutdown, a columnist wrote Tuesday.
A 60-40 vote to re-open the government was reached by the Senate after a 41-day closure in which Democrats ultimately failed to secure an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies. But, though the Democrats may have fallen short of their goal, political commentators believe the GOP faces a bigger headache when it comes to showing what they achieved during the shutdown, CNN columnist Stephen Collinson warned.
The analyst claimed Trump is repeating the same healthcare mistakes as he did in his first term, and a lack of a clear plan for Americans without healthcare could cause problems for the Republican Party. Collinson wrote, "And just as in his first term, Trump lacks a comprehensive, detailed plan to bring relief to citizens who lack health care, who can’t afford the plans they have or who know that the loss of a job could leave them without any coverage at all."
Part of the problem for the GOP, according to Collinson, is that it now needs to pick up the pieces after Trump's pledges to replace Obamacare. He added, "Trump’s pledges to replace Obamacare shimmered with hyperbole but delivered nothing, and the 2010 law survives despite multiple Republican efforts to destroy it."
Healthcare is already causing divisions within the Republican Party, with Marjorie Taylor Greene distancing herself further from MAGA. She took to X and claimed nobody in GOP leadership had talked with her, or other Republican representatives, about the "doubling" of health insurance premiums.
She wrote, "Not a single Republican in leadership talked to us about this or has given us a plan to help Americans deal with their health insurance premiums DOUBLING!!!"
New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D) has suggested it's now up to Republicans to act on improving healthcare affordability now the shutdown is coming to an end. She said, "Finally, because of the shutdown fight, we’ve had a number of Republicans who have figured out that this is an issue for them.
“So, now we’ll see. We’ll see if they are really going to work with us to make sure that Americans can afford their health insurance."
Trump has spoken of what the future of healthcare may look like, suggesting he wants to inject "trillions and trillions of dollars" into a new system which would see "people get the money."
