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Tags: Senate | Iowa | speech | heart

Trump Urges Senate to Craft a Healthcare Plan 'With Heart'

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By    |   Wednesday, 21 June 2017 10:11 PM EDT

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he asked the Republicans to create a healthcare plan that has "heart" and hinted he would be willing to amend it with "a couple of votes" from Democrats.

"We are going to surprise you with a really good plan," Trump told a rally at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "I've been talking about a plan with heart.

"I said, 'Add some money to it.' A plan with heart. Obamacare is dead."

"It's going to have good heart but even better," Trump said.

"If we had even a little Democrat support – just a little, like a couple of votes – you'd have everything," the president continued.

"You could give us a lot of votes – and we would be willing to change it and move it around and try to make it even better.

"A few votes from the Democrats – it could be so easy and so beautiful," Trump said. "You'd have cooperation.

"But they just want to stop," Trump said. "They want to obstruct. They would vote against it."

Senate Republicans are expected to introduce a working version of their healthcare plan Thursday. The GOP holds a slim majority in the chamber 52-48.

The House passed its version of the American Health Care Act last month.

President Trump's visit came after Republicans won special House races in Georgia and South Carolina on Tuesday to replace representatives he appointed to his Cabinet.

In the most-watched race, Republican Karen Handel defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff for the Georgia seat vacated by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.

More than $50 million was spent on the contest – eclipsing the previous record of $29 million in the 2012 races – and polls heavily favored Ossoff, a former documentary filmmaker and former aide to Rep. Hank Johnson.

Trump said the loss in Georgia particularly proved Democrats' strategy "isn't working.

"They thought they were going to win last night. They've been unbelievably nasty. Really nasty."

Referring to Ossoff, 30, as "this kid," Trump noted how much the party spent on the race.

"They raised a fortune. They fought like hell. They got all the press."

He noted Republican House victories in Montana, Kansas, South Carolina, and California.

"We are 5-0 – 5-0," the president said. "They thought they were going to win at least like, three. And it would be a devastating defeat.

"The truth is, the people love us. All of us. They don't get it.

"They haven't figured it out yet," Trump said, referring to the results of the Georgia race. "They are still trying to figure where all of those voters came from.

"We have the hardest-working, the smartest people. The toughest people.

"They are very lucky that our people don't protest," the president said to cheers from the crowd. "Believe me, they are very lucky."

In other parts of his speech, lasting more than an hour, President Trump touted his administration's accomplishments, reiterated many campaign promises, slammed the news media – even took a swipe at the various Russia investigations as "phony witch hunts."

"They have phony witch hunts going against me," President Trump told the crowd. "They have everything going. All we do is win, win, win.

"We won last night."

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Headline
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he asked the Republicans to create a healthcare plan that has "heart" and hinted he would be willing to amend it with "a couple of votes" from Democrats.
Senate, Iowa, speech, heart
541
2017-11-21
Wednesday, 21 June 2017 10:11 PM
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