* Let’s be clear about what House Republicans did today. Rep. Nancy Pelosi gets it:
#Trumpcare has never been about health care. It serves only as an excuse for a massive tax cut for the rich.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) May 4, 2017
* Rep. Doyle elaborated a bit:
“This is a tax cut bill masquerading as a health care bill. It takes money out of health care and gives it away as tax cuts.” – Rep. Doyle
— Tim Steller (@senyorreporter) May 4, 2017
* In case there are any doubts about that, here is what the Health Care Center and Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute demonstrated:
We find that the AHCA’s changes to federal taxes and health care benefits would be very regressive: taking both tax reductions and benefit reductions into account, the average high-income family would be significantly better off and the average low-income family would be significantly worse off under the AHCA.
* That is why this deplorable human being was in such a good mood.
JUST IN: Paul Ryan “almost giddy” in GOP rally before healthcare vote https://t.co/Arc4kuPVzK pic.twitter.com/djaaDwwMrB
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 4, 2017
* Steve Benen documented all of the promises that were broken in the process.
* So what happens next? Greg Sargent explains the first step:
A Democratic leadership aide tells me that the CBO has confirmed to Democratic leaders that the CBO score will be completed and delivered next week or the week after. This means moderate and vulnerable House Republicans who are already worried about explaining to their constituents why they voted for the bill — which guts protections for the sick and rolls back coverage for millions of poor and working-class people while delivering a huge tax cut to the rich — will have to justify it again, in light of a nonpartisan analysis spelling out the grisly details of what they really voted for.
* As House Republicans and the president were spiking the ball a bit prematurely at the White House today after the vote, you have to wonder whether or not they realized that the Senate also has to weigh in. Apparently they are going to toss out what passed in the House today and start from scratch.
Senate Republicans said Thursday they won’t vote on the House-passed bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, but will write their own legislation instead.
A Senate proposal is now being developed by a 12-member working group. It will attempt to incorporate elements of the House bill, senators said, but will not take up the House bill as a starting point and change it through the amendment process.
When/if that process is completed, the two bills will go to a conference committee to be merged into one piece of legislation, which will likely have to be approved by both chambers once again.
* After such an ugly day, all I’ve got to add is that this is one of those times when I really miss that guy who was #44.
.@petesouza: 3/22/10. 80 min after ACA passes, POTUS reads texts. One: “Your mother would be so proud.” His mother died from ovarian cancer. pic.twitter.com/EDWqqhIxCH
— Kat 4 Obama (@Kat4Obama) May 4, 2017
