Washington Week With The Atlantic Episode 52.18 Republicans revive health care reform and Congress compromises on government spending

This was the week Congress got busy. Republicans in the House performed life-saving measures to revive their long-promised plan to replace Obamacare weeks after their original replacement bill fell short. The recrafted measure does not require people to have health insurance, rolls back state-by-state expansions of Medicaid, and includes $8 billion to help cover people with pre-existing conditions. Health care industry groups including the American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society oppose the bill and its likely to encounter hurdles when it is debated by the Senate.

The health care win came just days after Congress reached a bipartisan budget deal to fund the government through the end of September. The $1.1 trillion spending bill increases defense and border security funding but does not include money to pay for President Trump’s border wall. Despite the compromise, Trump suggested the need for a “good ‘shutdown’ in September” to get more Republican spending priorities.

Robert Costa goes behind-the-scenes in the halls of Congress and the White House to understand the negotiations and impact of this consequential week with: Ed O’Keefe of The Washington Post

Erica Werner of AP

Peter Baker of The New York Times

Molly Ball of The Atlantic