Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) expressed disapproval on Sunday of the Trump administration's decision to continue backing a lawsuit seeking to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act.
What he's saying: "I thought the Justice Department argument was really flimsy," Alexander said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "What they're arguing is that when we voted to get rid of the individual mandate, we voted to get rid of Obamacare. I don't know one single senator who thought that."
The big picture: The lawsuit by a coalition of Republican states is set to be heard by the Supreme Court this fall, with major implications for November's election.
- CNN reports that Attorney General Bill Barr has urged the White House to soften its hard line and change its position to preserve parts of the law, rather than fully backing the lawsuit.
- Last week, however, President Trump said the administration will not change its position, telling reporters: "Obamacare is a disaster, but we've run it very well, and we've made it barely acceptable ... What we want to do is terminate it and give health care. We'll have great health care, including preexisting conditions."
- The administration has not proposed a replacement for the law.