The following article by Henry C. Jackson was posted on the politico.com website October 13, 2017:
No thanks, Obama.
In a pair of policy decisions that were totally unrelated — but united by a common theme — President Donald Trump today took his most significant steps toward dismantling the legacy achievements of his predecessor: The White House said it would cut off billions of dollars in subsidies for the poor through Obamacare and Trump announced he would refuse to certify the nuclear agreement with Iran.
Neither move is clean and simple. Both moves kickthornier issues to Congress — where both sides are rapidly losing patience with each other. Paired together, though, they were significant decisions that allowed Trump, speaking to a friendly crowd at the Voter Values Summit to declare that his presidency is “substantially ahead of schedule.”
Trump’s healthcare decision is destined to result in a legal battle — potentially for years if Congress does nothing. But, as POLITICO’s Paul Demko and Rachana Pradhan report, it could also leave consumers “holding the bag if their insurers bolt and their Obamacare markets teeter on the verge of collapse.”
On Iran, Trump’s move to decertify the Iran agreement is not as dramatic as it sounds: The international agreement is essentially intact unless Congress acts to renew sanctions. Trump called on Congress to pass more intricate legislation to hold Iran in check but it’s not clear how soon that will come, if at all.
More broadly, Trump’s actions show he is impatient at the Republican Congress’ pace for change — change from Obama era policies to Trump’s vision. As POLITICO’s Matthew Nussbaum reports, Trump is trying to force Congress’ hands, a significant gamble.
“Trump risks owning the fallout from his threats, versus being able to blame President Barack Obama for dumping flawed policy on him. But he also could make good on his reputation as a master dealmaker if his threats help break the congressional gridlock that has so far dogged his presidency.”
View the post here.