The end seven years ago we were left with something that is unsustainable, we were left with something hurting americans back home, thats hurting Health Care Coverage and its a binary choice, a choice of continuing down a path of Affordable Care act thats not working or repealing it and repairing it and moving forward in the process. I ran on that in 2009 that i was going to repeal and replace obamacare im going to vote yes so we can repeal an start the process of of repeal and replacing obamacare. Do you have a sense of other februaries of the Freedom Caucus if they are moving forward . I dont. The wednesday group, the friday group, i got a lot of friends on both sides of the aisle, what im hearing is everybody has their opinion. The real problem is there are two choices either move forward and repeal this bill that everybody wants us to repeal back home and what we all ran on
or youre going to allow it just to continue. Because you heard the president and ive got to give the president a lot of credit. He has worked with everyone. I spent an hour and a half in the white house with him. He has listened changed things and actually helped the process and i think at the end people have to realize this is part of moving forward and he wants to get this done to move on to tax reform and im hoping others will come on board an vote as well. If it does not come to a vote or does not pass, what then . What happens . I think like the president said and im a businessman as well, you cant just keep going back and forth and back and forth. He wants to move on to other things. I would like to see tax reform being done, i hope we can move on to that, but at this point its a binary choice, youre either voting for the repeal and replace process to begin or allowing obamacare to continue and move on to Something Else. The critics say whats the rush . Why do you have to do this so quickly . Why not go back fix it, make it better, you said yourself you hate the way the process was dealt with, the chances of passing in the senate are very minimal, a much smaller republican vote, why not go back and improve it so you love it and your colleagues love it. I hope it does go to the senate, that is the process, let the senators do what they think, send it back, lets keep it moving but the American People want to see things getting done, we have immigration reform, tax reform, all things on the plate. We cant just continue to say well lets go back to the drawing board. Its time to move this process forward. Time to move on to the next agenda item. Again, i might not like
everything in the bill but i know its the opportunity for us to repeal and replace and repair and move this forward and get on to the rest of the agenda. Thanks very much for joining us. Thank you. David chalian, political director. The big picture here . I keep thinking back to on Election Night when the results were clear and we saw that donald trump had taken the oval office and republicans had the house and the senate, the first thing that people discovered or started analyzing and talking about well obamacare is gone, thats clear they have the house, the senate, oval office. And have been talking about it for seven years. Of course. And i cant believe were sitting here watching this potentially fall apart. Again, they still have to cast these votes so we dont know exactly where this will land but if this is going to go the way sean spicers briefing seems to suggest that it is, paul ryan and donald trump are going to be
the ones that saved obamacare and kept it in place is a bizarre outcome. And whats more bizarre is republicans will be blaming each other no doubt if it loses the president will blame the democrats an whatever else, but you not only have republicans blaming each other but you have House Republicans saying the reason we cant do this is because we dont trust the Senate Republicans and its just this incredible mess that i dont think donald trump had any idea what he was walking into when he became president. Someone who was sitting in the white house tonight of the election, we fully thought obamacare would be dead long before now, so the fact that it is still alive is not something i think the obama team, most democrats expected in any way. The interesting dynamic which gloria touched on thats happening now theres no doubt the Man Plaqcconnell is workinge
sweetener no way hes keeping the cuts and especiasentials, at of them are going to walk the plank. Can you explain for our viewers what is happening now . Are they still making calls trying to wrangle votes . Whats happening now is they are going one by one and no longer talking about gee, what do you want in and what do you want out . Thats been done, this will be the bill that will be voted on. Its set what they are saying to them are the political arguments and making process arguments. You have got to start this process, if you dont start it here it wont start anywhere, taxes have to start in the house of representatives constitutionally, so will you move to process forward . And thats the major argument theyre make k, frankly not unlike 1986 when the house took up a Tax Reform Bill had almost
no reform as president reagan, bradley or dep hahart wanted it. Some defeated that rule, and i remember Ronald Reagan came up to the hill and spoke to House Republicans and said i pledge to you if this doesnt come out right in the senate, i will veto it but i have got to have this process move forward. The problem i had with jack was whether he would rule for the process to go forward and he said no, couldnt, hated everything in the bill and he turned around on the stair above me and said shutup i dont want to hear you talk about it again, im voting for it we have got to keep the process going. Thats what is happening right now. We have all seen the house of cards. How tough, how bare knuckles, youre saying oneonone, talking about somebody saying
shutup. Well that was a member to a staff person, so its easy. Working for jack as a staff person he had the right to say anything he wanted to me. Having said that member to member let me walk you through what i think is going to happen, this will happen next, this will happen next and thats what members are balancing right here a bill they dont like everything and, they like some things not everything, is it more of a risk to send to the senate or more of a risk to stop it in the house and see what happens after that and thats a Balancing Act but these conversations arent vicious kfr conversations they are here is what i think what do you think . We have seen concessions for memb members of the Freedom Caucus, work requirements for those w who sooner into medicaid
rather than later and thats brought some of the Freedom Caucus firmly believes this doesnt do enough to bring down premiums and expand choices for the American People, problem is when they made concessions for some to have more moderate republicans fell off the vote so today we had Vice President pence working hard on the hill as you indicated oneonone with some of these people. Thats why its so complex, its like whack a mole. What im hearing more than anything donald trump wants people to go to the floor, have a record, but those that are no arent concerned about what donald trump thinks, more concerned about their constituents back home and thats more motivating. David gurgen what do you think . I understand the instinct on the part of the white house to stand up and be counted who was loyal and who didnt for later purposes. But the fact is hes in a position right now where he needs to unify the party and everybody on the line is paying a potential price back home and from the Point Of View of trying to unify a party this is not what you due, hug each other and saying lets be positive were moving on. But donald trump is used to walking out of negotiation. If he didnt like a deal, we walked off the deal an moved on and this is what i think he is saying now, we have to get this other with and move on. In the end david, you know the speaker well, you used to work for him. Its his decision not the
president s decision, its paul ryans decision. It is a decision that paul ryan and mccarthy and the leadership will ultimately make, but this is one you want to have as much team support for making this decision and at least i presume that the stories i saw about the speaker going down to the white house were correct. That was one place you could get everybody with an opinion in the white house same place same time as opposed to calling the president up on the phone and address the decision head on. The president has done everything he can do, with one exception, time. Uhhuh. And you can take more time if you so desire and move. Is something going to have to happen on health care in the next two years . Yes, and everybody working with the president knew this, secretary clinton wanted to do raise taxes. Every republican some form or another wanted the market to shift over to the market and thats what were going to have to have it because aca does not have a long Life Expectancy here because the costs are going to drive people away. President trump is fooling himself if he thinks he can lose today and just move on like tax reform is going to be a slam dunk, the last time was a very difficult task that involved president reagans leadership. Were not through with health care. Republicans said they would do something about it they campaigned the past seven and a half years through four elections and then have one house vote and then say too bad . There are issues the Affordable Care act may not be in a death spiral as much as republicans argue, but the congress and white house probably need to address if they refuse to do that who takes the blame for a system that continues to get worse. Lets listen to sean spicer explain from his perspective and the speak eaers Perspective Wh Repeal and replace obamacare comes first. Wouldnt it have been wiser to work with the Freedom Caucus first to work on infrastructure . We talked about this since 2010 and every republican with the exception of probably a handful that they would do everything they could to repeal and replace obamacare and to get in and say hey, you should have done Something Else wouldnt be fair for the American People who said okay ill vote for you but i want you to fulfill this pledge. Do you feel, david chalian, that the president was really enthusiastic over these past few months since he took office in making sure this was the first issue on the legislative agenda . Yeah, i think weve seen what donald trump looks like when he
puts everything on the field, i think we saw that during the campaign in stocome of the dark moments, i know sean said he was doing everything he possibly could. I think there will be a lookback and i dont know that the Republican Leadership ton the hill feels donald trump did everything he could, so that may be revised and again if indeed the vote goes down this relationship between ryan and trump will be forever changed because of this moment and how they move Forward Together i think is going to be a really determinative thing for the rest of the agenda. I think when you look at next steps, if this goes down, the question is whether you now need to do things incrementally as oppo
opposed to these massive bills a where you do play whack a mole as anderson was saying, and go back to health care and say this needs to be fixed and that needs to be fixed i dont know whether republicans would play on that and dave, you may know more on that than i do, but the question is these massive things given the polarization and the congress will be done anymore this way. It seems almost an impossible task. The roll call of the house of representatives a little more than an hour away, another fight up on capitol hill, this one involving the investigation over the Trump Campaigns possible ties to russia. Youre going to hear what the republican leader of the House Intelligence Committee did that is now infuriated several members of his committee. This is cnns special live coverage. Snoo another major story unfolding on capitol hill. One is close to donald trump now volunteering to be interviewed by the House Intelligence Community with ties to russia. Stone saying it isnt his bag of tricks, manaforts ukraine, carter page who allegedly advised the Trump Campaign on Foreign Policy saying hes also willing to talk. Want to bring in manu raju. We are hearing tuesdays hearing has been cancelled . Reporter thats right. Thats prompting a lot of concern of people on the committee who believe they should have moved former. Former national Intelligence Committee officials to talk about russian meddling and contacts and any alleged coordination that may have occurred during Trump Campaign and russian officials, devin nunes said he would not move forward on this because they would have a private classified meeting with james comey, and mike rogers to get briefed Going Forward but democrats are furious. They believe its going to prevent the public from getting a clear understanding of whats happening in russia, and adam schiff is joining calls criticizing devin nunes and i asked him if he does not agree with others who believe devin nunes is not fit to sit as chairman. As i said were we are not going to get in a era because
they were mentioned a press story and i am highly concerned about that. To take evidence that may or may not be related to the investigation to the white house was wholly inappropriate and of course cast grave doubts into the ability to run a credible investigation and the integrity of that investigation. Do you believe that he can still run this committee or should he step aside . Ultimately thats the decision that the speaker needs to make. And i think the speaker has to decide just as well as our own chairman whether they want a credible investigation being done, whether they want an investigation that the public can have confidence in. Reporter now anderson, it is significant that these three former trump advisors have agreed to come forward. Nunes said he did not want to bring them forward because he wanted them to voluntarily come
forward. And carter says he wants to clear his name and does not believe hes been treated fair by the democrats on this committee, just before coming on air he told me his presence is that he would like to testify in public not in a private setting a because he does not believe that the Committee Democrats would treat him fairly and says hes tired of these innuendos, page willing to go public, the question is will they agree to have public testimony that may not look so favorably from the Trump Campaign trying to distance themselves from russia. Would this classified briefing be on tuesday and any word on when the next public briefing would be . Reporter we dont know, devin nunes suggested hes still open to a public hearing, did not commit to a day, but a new focus Going Forward to demand a public hearing, because much of
what this committee does is in secret. Thank you very much. Back now with the panel. I mean, i dont even know where to begin. Let me ask you, anderson because you had that amazing interview with carter page. You got to talk to him and he was described as an important Policy Advisor for the Trump Campaign. Which is why i said allegedly, because the timeline is very strange. Then Candidate Trump was under pressure to kind of name significant people who were his National Security team and finally after some delays he came out with five names one he said carter page phd, that seemed to indicate they had met. I talked to carter page who claimed repeatedly in russia and elsewhere that he attended meetings with Candidate Trump. Upon further questioning what
carter page meant by meeting he says he was using meeting in the russian term of the word which means he attended rallies that donald trump gave like in bismark, north dakota with 25,000 other meetings and i said does that mean anybody who has been to a rally with donald trump means they have been in a meeting with donald trump . Apparently he likes to stick with the russian meaning. You spoke with another former advisor . Who feels the same way that you do about the closeness of carter page to donald trump. And we should point out that the campaign itself within a short amount of time started to distance themselves from carter page. And Paul Manafort, but i spoke with roger stone today who wanted to point out dont forget Paul Manafort announced this morning he was willing to testify before the Committee Without a subpoena and very
short order also heard from roger stone and carter page and speaking to carter page he made it clear he says he has nothing to hide an wants to clear his name and this letter from his attorney his lawyer says mr. Sohn is eager to because of the way he has been portrayed. So now they are ready to testify, some publicly and we will see whether the committee wants to do this. But it is interesting how they are characterizing the relationship with now seems like Paul Manafort was a bystander. A summer intern. A staffer and certainly carter page as well. One thing i think is interesting, nunes and schiff
used to do two differ