The president of the United States is throwing a temper tantrum. After the Senate rejected efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, and take health insurance from millions of Americans, President Donald Trump tweeted angrily that he would take health insurance from Congress and its staff. This is just one of Trump’s many clumsy threats to try forcing Obamacare repeal through Congress, but as a former congressional staffer, I take this one a bit personally.
Trump’s threats are not a serious strategy for passing health care legislation in Congress. But taking away health care from congressional staff is a serious threat. It would make Congress even more dependent on lobbyists and out of touch with the country they are supposed to serve. Now Congress must decide whether to act like a co-equal branch of government and stand up to Trump, or be complicit in his bullying.