Schumer blasts Trump’s threat to end ObamaCare payments: Start ‘acting presidential’

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Saturday called on President Trump to “finally begin acting presidential” after Trump threatened to end key ObamaCare payments to insurers.

“If the president refuses to make the cost sharing reduction payments, every expert agrees that premiums will go up and health care will be more expensive for millions of Americans,” Schumer said in a statement.

“The president ought to stop playing politics with people’s lives and health care, start leading, and finally begin acting presidential,” he added.

.@POTUS ought to stop playing politics with people’s lives & #health care, start leading & finally begin acting presidential.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 29, 2017

{mosads}

Trump reiterated his threat to end the payments — known as cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments — in a tweet Saturday following the collapse of Senate GOP efforts this week to repeal and replace ObamaCare, while also drawing a target on members’ benefits.

“After seven years of ‘talking’ Repeal & Replace, the people of our great country are still being forced to live with imploding ObamaCare!” Trump wrote in a tweet.

“If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!” he added.

Trump has previously threatened to stop making the payments, which reduce the price some Americans pay for deductibles, copayments and insurance.

The White House announced it would make July payments just one day before the deadline, but has not made any commitment yet to make the payments in August or any subsequent months.

The Senate GOP’s effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare collapsed this week after a “skinny” repeal of the law failed to pass the upper chamber by a vote of 49-51.