Axios

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch told Reuters Monday that senators are "too divided" right now to continue working on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, and said he plans to relay that message to the White House.

"There's just too much animosity and we're too divided on healthcare."— Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Hatch added that he still believes healthcare is a priority, but not a pressing one, and that Congress can always go back to it at a later date. "We need to move ahead on tax reform," he said.

Meanwhile, President Trump has been urging GOP senators to keep working on legislation that will overhaul the entire health care system. "Don't give up Republican senators, the world is watching: Repeal & Replace..." he tweeted Sunday.

The U.S. levied sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Monday after a "sham" election Sunday that was internationally condemned as a power grab.

"Maduro is a dictator who disregards the will of the Venezuelan people," Treasury Secretary Mnuchin told reporters at the White House Monday. This is the fourth head of state the U.S. has ever sanctioned, Mnuchin said.

The sanctions: They freeze any assets Maduro has in U.S. jurisdictions and blocks Americans from doing business with him. The U.S. sanctioned 13 Venezuelan officials last week.

About oil: U.S. officials previously said sanctions could target Venezuela's oil sector, which would cripple Venezuela's economy and impact U.S.gasoline prices as well. Per the AP, the U.S. held off due to complications.

Sarah Sanders, who will soon replace Sean Spicer as Press Secretary, stated Monday that White House Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci, "does not have a role [at the White House] at this time." She later added that President Trump "certainly thought Anthony's comments [to The New Yorker] were inappropriate for a person in that position." Other highlights from Monday's press briefing:

• Is new Chief of Staff John Kelly responsible for Scaramucci's ouster? "We all serve at the pleasure of the president," but in this instance it was a "mutual agreement."
• Hierarchy of reporting to Kelly: "Gen. Kelly has the full authority to operate in the White House and all staff will report to him."
• What will happen to Spicer now? "I am not aware of any changes on that front."
• On Attorney General Sessions: "The president has 100 percent confidence in every member of his Cabinet."

Earlier, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and National Security Advisor McMaster announced new sanctions on Venezuela.

President Trump presented the Medal of Honor Monday to Vietnam War Army Medic, Specialist Five James C. McCloughan, who rescued 10 American soldiers and tended to countless others while wounded in 48 hours of close combat in 1969.

The United States has overcome many threats "because of titans like Jim, whose spirit could never be conquered," said Trump. "We are in awe of your actions and your bravery."

Then-Homeland Security Secretary and current White House chief of staff John Kelly called up James Comey the day he was fired as FBI Director, telling him he was upset and considering resigning, according to CNN's Shimon Prokupecz and Pamela Brown. As one of their sources put it, "John was angry and hurt by what he saw and the way (Comey) was treated."

The scene: Comey heard about his firing while speaking in front of his then-colleagues in L.A., and as he returned to Washington, D.C., reportedly spoke to Kelly and told him not to resign.

The Republican National Committee has asked its employees not to "delete, destroy, modify, or remove" any documents related to the 2016 presidential campaign, a move that RNC lawyers reportedly described as a precautionary one amid the ongoing Russia probe, per Buzzfeed News.

"Given the important role that the RNC plays in national elections and the potentially expansive scope of the inquiries and investigations, it is possible that we will be contacted with requests for information," reads a July 28 memo from the RNC's counsel office. "Therefore, we must preserve all documents potentially relevant to these matters until they are resolved or until we are informed by all necessary parties that preservation is no longer necessary."

The RNC also clarified the move is simply "standard procedure," and that they have yet to be contacted about anything relating to the investigations.

Rasmussen's daily Presidential Tracking Poll, a poll President Trump cites frequently on Twitter, reported Monday that 61% of likely U.S. voters disapprove of Trump's job performance. Other findings from the report:

• Only 26% of likely voters "Strongly Approve" of Trump's performance, while 49% "Strongly Disapprove."
• 67% of likely GOP voters believe Republicans in Congress have lost touch with their voter base, up from 51% in February.
• Why it matters: The findings mark the first time Trump's overall approval rating has slid below 40% in the Rasmussen tracking report.

Go deeper: Trump made history for the lowest approval rating in his first 6 months.

Never mind President Trump's weekend of after-the-whistle tweeting about health reform. The White House, Senate and House are all united in moving on full steam to tax reform this week.

Why it matters: They're doing it with heightened urgency, since Republican lawmakers are more desperate than ever to pass something substantial ahead of midterms. Republicans' House majority is in more danger than ever after the face-plant on health care. So they'll make noises about a last-ditch push. Forget it: A top congressional aide says it would take "a miracle."

In only six months of the Trump presidency, nine officials have quit or been forced to resign, including Sally Yates, Michael Flynn, and James Comey.

• Sean Spicer announced his resignation last week, hours after Anthony Scaramucci was named the new director of communications. Hours after Politico reported that Mooch planned to fire Michael Short, the assistant press secretary quit first. And on Friday Trump replaced Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, announcing it through a tweet.
• There seem to be more resignations and firings on the horizon, the questions is, who's going next?
• Why it matters: Trump is obviously losing confidence in his own administration, and is willing to make dramatic personnel changes. Scaramucci, the new favorite, "intends to follow through on threats to purge aides he believes are disloyal to Trump" according to the Washington Post.