Trump Wants Obamacare Bill and to Keep Government Running

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he wants Congress to pass legislation scaling back Obamacare and a spending bill to keep the U.S. government running next week.

“I want to get both,” Trump said Thursday at a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni at the White House.

House Republicans deadlocked last month on legislation to scale back Obamacare, failing to muster enough support to vote on the bill and send it to the Senate. Obamacare’s repeal and replacement was a top campaign promise for Trump, and his aides have continued to negotiate changes to the bill with conservatives and moderates in the Republican caucus.

“We’re doing very well on health care. It’s evolving. There was never a give-up,” Trump said. “We have a good chance of getting it soon. I’d like to say next week, but I believe we’ll get it. Whether it’s next week or shortly thereafter.”

100 Days

The 100-day mark of Trump’s presidency -- traditionally a symbolic threshold to measure progress on campaign promises -- falls on April 29.

But congressional Republicans and the White House are in disagreement over whether a new version of their health care bill would be finished this week and whether the House would vote next week. A White House official said the administration expects a vote soon after lawmakers return to Washington on Tuesday, while a senior House Republican aide said the bill isn’t ready and there’s no plan for a vote next week or at any time in the future.

Meanwhile, Congress must pass a spending bill by April 28 or much of the federal government will be forced to shut down at the end of the day.

“As far as keeping the government open, I think we want to keep the government open, don’t you agree?” Trump said. “So yeah, I think we’ll get both.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Jacobs in Washington at jjacobs68@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asseo