Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Look At How It All Went Wrong: 'This Has Been Way More Difficult Than It Needs To Be'
Sen. Dean Heller was sitting two seats away from President Trump and facing his grim-faced colleagues this week when he decided to crack a pointed joke. Heller 鈥 a square-jawed, 颅sandy-haired moderate Republican 鈥 said the attack ads against him, paid for by a Trump-allied super PAC, should have used his own image instead of actor Matt Damon鈥檚. There were scattered laughs, including a chuckle from Trump. But many of the Republican lawmakers lining tables in the East Room stayed mute. (Costa, Sullivan, Eilperin and Snell, 6/28)
For the past decade, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has forged a reputation as a closer on big deals. There was the Wall Street bailout just before the 2008 elections. There was the pact over the summer of 2011 to slash spending and avoid a federal default. And there was the 2012 New Year鈥檚 Eve 鈥渇iscal cliff鈥 compromise to avoid huge tax increases. But this week, McConnell (R-Ky.) fell short in crafting a Republican plan to repeal portions of the Affordable Care Act and redraw vast amounts of Medicaid policy. Rather than suffer a humiliating defeat, McConnell told his GOP colleagues Tuesday that he would delay a vote until at least mid-July. (Kane, 6/28)
