Politics

Trump Looks To Deal With Dems After Judge Strikes Down Obamacare

U.S. President Trump gives thumbs up as he talks about arrest of bombing suspect during event in East Room of White House in Washington

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Saagar Enjeti White House Correspondent
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President Donald Trump tweeted his eagerness Monday to work with Democratic lawmakers to pass a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, which was struck down by a federal judge Friday evening in Texas.

Trump’s tweet urged the U.S. Supreme Court to confirm the Texas decision, which concurred with a lawsuit brought by 20 U.S. states alleging the healthcare framework is unconstitutional. The ruling by Judge Reed O’Connor is especially peculiar because the healthcare law was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012 by five current justices who continue to sit on the bench.

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen as the court nears the end of its term in Washington, June 11, 2018. REUTERS/Erin Schaff

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen as the court nears the end of its term in Washington, June 11, 2018. REUTERS/Erin Schaff

O’Connor argued that the Supreme Court ruling was invalidated by the removal by Congress and the Trump administration of the law’s signature individual mandate. The Supreme Court said the individual mandate was constitutional because of Congress’s ability to levy taxes.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) talks with U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as he departs after delivering his State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. January 30, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) talks with U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as he departs after delivering his State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. January 30, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

Trump celebrated the decision Friday in a series of spirited tweets. The president has long been stung by his 2017 effort to repeal and replace the signature healthcare law of his predecessor, which was sunk with a single “no” vote by former Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.