The White House stayed out of the chatter Thursday over whether Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is going to be Donald Trump's running mate, but spokesman Josh Earnest noted that Pence worked with the administration to expand Medicaid in the Hoosier State under Obamacare.
"I know that Governor Pence did do some important work with the administration to expand Medicaid in his state," Earnest told reporters,
The Independent Journal reports.
The state expanded the program for low-income residents under Obamacare in 2015 after the administration allowed Indiana to impose additional requirements for assistance.
"With this decision, our state can begin covering our uninsured working poor the Indiana way, based on personal responsibility," Pence said at the time.
Otherwise, Earnest said, the Obama administration was out of the speculation over Pence as a vice presidential candidate.
"I’m not sure to what extent President Obama has had an opportunity to interact with Governor Pence," he said, according to the report.
Earnest then was asked about Pence's signing Indiana's controversial religious freedom law, which has been attacked for allowing discrimination against gays.
"Obviously, the president has had a pretty strong and negative reaction to state laws that are focused on taking rights away from people," he told reporters. "But other than that, I think that if Governor Pence is chosen, these are the kinds of questions that he will have to answer under the national spotlight — and that’s a good thing.
"The records of the candidates and their running mates should be scrutinized by the media.
"I’ll leave it to the individual candidates to determine who they believe will best complement their skills and lead their party on the national ticket," he said.
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