President Donald Trump on Saturday urged the public to put pressure on Senate Republicans who have waffled on supporting the healthcare bill, The Hill reported.
Trump made the off-hand comments in Virginia during his speech at the commissioning of the USS Gerald Ford, the Navy's newest warship. The president plugged healthcare while also calling for people to lobby lawmakers to pass a budget that contains an additional $54 billion in Defense Department funding.
"And you will get — believe me, President Trump, I will tell you — you will get it. Don't worry about it. But I don't mind getting a little hand. So call that congressman, and call that senator and make sure you get it," Trump said. "And by the way, you can also call those senators to make sure that you get healthcare."
The GOP healthcare bill crumbled following the defection on Tuesday of two more Republican senators – Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas. They joined Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine who had come out against it, giving Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell only 48 of the 50 Republican votes he needed to move forward.
Trump ripped into lawmakers early Saturday on Twitter, saying GOP senators needed to "step up to plate."
"Obamacare is dead and the Democrats are obstructionists, no ideas or votes, only obstruction. It is solely up to the 52 Republican Senators!”