House GOP to Run in 2020 on Reducing the Debt They Helped Grow

(Bloomberg) -- House Republicans plan to run on tried-and-true issues in 2020: repealing Obamacare and reducing the national debt, even though the GOP fell short of both goals the last time the party had full control of Washington.'The first thing we would do is make sure our debt is taken care of,' House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters during a meeting of party members in Baltimore to work on their election-year agenda.This week, the annual budget deficit reached $1 trillion under President Donald Trump's watch. When Republicans controlled the House, Senate and White House last year, they enacted tax cuts estimated to add $1.5 trillion in deficits over 10 years.Republicans plan to reduce the debt by repealing Obamacare, McCarthy said, a day after Democratic presidential candidates vowed to greatly expand government's role in health care during their third debate.Democrats view health care and the defense of Obamacare as the key issue that sealed their takeover of the House in the 2018 election.In 2017, 'no' votes by GOP Senators John McCain, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski blocked Republicans' attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.'We were one vote short of entitlement reform. We will have the opportunity with a Republican Senate and President Trump to change it once and for all and make America stronger,' McCarthy said Friday.'We want to protect pre-existing conditions. We want to lower the cost of health care while raising quality overall,' McCarthy said. 'Democrats are offering Medicare for All. They want to end health care' for millions of Americans who currently have coverage.Second-ranking House Republican Steve Scalise added, 'health care is an important issue for us to lean in on.' Republicans will refine their 2017 replacement bill to 'make it even stronger' in the coming months, he said.To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Wasson in Washington at ewasson@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asso, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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