WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump used a lunch with Republican senators Wednesday to jokingly threaten vulnerable GOP lawmakers who have opposed recent Senate attempts at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. Seated next to Trump at the lunch was Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), who is up for re-election next year. Following Heller’s announcement in June that he would oppose the first version of the Senate’s health care bill, a pro-Trump political action group ran ads against him. “Frankly, I don’t think we should leave town unless we have a health insurance plan, unless we can give our people great health care,” Trump said. According to Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), who opposed the House version of the health care bill earlier this year, Trump relayed a threat through Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, a former South Carolina congressman.

Source: Huffington Post July 19, 2017 17:46 UTC