Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe took a shot at Vice President Mike Pence on Friday while introducing him at the National Governors Association's summer meeting, praising Pence for expanding Medicaid as the governor of Indiana.
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Virginia's governor took a sly shot at Mike Pence while introducing him at an event
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe took a shot at Vice President Mike Pence on Friday while introducing him at the National Governors Association's summer meeting.
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"I thank Vice President Pence — he showed true backbone himself in Indiana when he expanded Medicaid for his citizens," McAuliffe, a Democrat and the chairman of the NGA, told the audience gathered in Rhode Island. "So he understands the challenges that we as governors face to make sure we're providing that quality care."
Pence, who was one of 10 Republican governors to expand Medicaid, the government's health-insurance program for low-income Americans, now supports the GOP's proposal to make significant cuts to the program included in a bill to replace Obamacare, the healthcare law officially called the Affordable Care Act. Thirty-two states expanded access to Medicaid under Obamacare, extending health coverage to more than 11 million Americans.
McAuliffe — who has been critical of the GOP's healthcare bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, which has not gotten any Democratic support — said Pence understood the importance of working across the aisle on key issues, including healthcare.
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"He understands that we want to work together in a bipartisan way," he said. "We want to work together on infrastructure. We want to work together on tax reform. And we want to work together on healthcare, so that we can provide the best quality healthcare for our citizens."
Pence responded to McAuliffe's comments during his speech to the group.
"Let me speak to you as a former governor and as someone who, as Terry McAuliffe pointed out, I made the decision in Indiana to expand Medicaid under a waiver," Pence said. "You all know your states. You know your people. You know how to create the innovative solutions to address the unique healthcare needs of the people of your states."
Pence argued that the GOP plan would give governors the flexibility to "act on your own ideas" and emphasized his position that his party's bill "secures Medicaid for the neediest in our society," which he also tweeted on Friday afternoon.
The Congressional Budget Office projected in June that the BCRA would cut Medicaid spending by $772 billion by 2026.
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