May 29, 2017

Trump's mystery tweet: "add more dollars" to health care

President Trump is back on Twitter, and tonight he tweeted about an intriguing idea that's disconnected from pretty much all of the current Republican health care plans: he wants to "add more dollars" to health care.

What the House health care bill does: It would cut overall health care spending by $1.1 trillion over 10 years, including $834 billion in Medicaid savings, according to the latest Congressional Budget Office estimate.

What his budget does: It would cut Medicaid by an additional $610 billion.

Why it matters: It's not clear whether Trump's tweet is an actual policy proposal or just a stray thought that we'll never hear again (a White House spokesman said they have nothing to add). Either way, it's not helpful to Republicans who are have already gone on record supporting an Affordable Care Act repeal plan that cuts spending.

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Coronavirus dashboard

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Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 745,308 — Total deaths: 35,307 — Total recoveries: 156,875.
U.S.: Leads the world in confirmed cases. Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 143,672 — Total deaths: 2,575 — Total recoveries: 4,865.
Federal government latest: The White House will extend its social distancing guidelines until April 30 — Hospital ship the USNS Comfort arrives in Manhattan.
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World updates: Spain and Italy extend lockdown deadlines while Italy becomes second country to surpass 100,000 confirmed cases.
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