Wonkbook: Republicans' health-care split goes all the way to the party's soul

By Damian Paletta For decades, the Republican Party has sto...   The latest economic and domestic policy from Wonkblog   Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is the head of a splintered party. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post) By Damian Paletta For decades, the Republican Party has stood for small government and pledged — if given the opportunity — it would safeguard the country's financial future by cutting trillions of dollars from federal entitlement programs. That chance finally came this week. The party balked. At the heart of the failed Senate effort to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act were irreconcilable differences over the proper role of entitlements and how far the party should go to pursue its small government mantra. Both wings of the GOP revolted — senators who rejected steep cuts to Medicaid, a health program for low-income Americans, and others who felt the cuts were not deep enough. Now, with the split unresolved, the party is struggling to find a way to govern despite controlling the White House and Congress. And that may leave it at risk of failing to pass any landmark legislation. Read the rest on Wonkblog. Top policy tweets Interesting that Rs plan 2 leave 4 recess voting 4 a wall many of them never wanted. But Trump is NOT happy w/Congress. Gotta give him a win https://t.co/zGBSTO6gYd — Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) July 19, 2017 ADVERTISEMENT   .@DouthatNYT makes the case for a repeat of Bush-style, deficit-financed temporary tax cuts https://t.co/tyweUGlp8B — Joseph Lawler (@josephlawler) July 19, 2017 Three potential Fed chair candidates (Hubbard, Taylor and Warsh) say Trump can raise US growth rate to 3% https://t.co/pkdvavnoVK — Nick Timiraos (@NickTimiraos) July 19, 2017 The administration appears to have learned that quiet actions, rather than big signing ceremonies, have more impact https://t.co/oa8gSCSzGb — Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) July 18, 2017 Good summation of what neoliberalism is and why it matters, both historically and now. Via @rortybomb: https://t.co/Kjo6MgCXxd — Jeff Spross (@jeffspross) July 18, 2017 Most Recent Posts from Wonkblog China and the U.S. are both going for trade’s nuclear option By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   Here’s what health care looks like if Republicans’ Obamacare ‘repeal and delay’ plan succeeds The Republican effort to repeal Obamacare has stalled out -- for now. By Max Ehrenfreund  •  Read more »   Paul Ryan just made Trump’s agenda a lot harder to pass President Trump is going to have to make his tax cuts smaller. House Republicans are insisting on a revenue-neutral budget in the next 10 years. By Heather Long  •  Read more » Republicans’ health-care split goes all the way to the party’s soul The GOP had a chance to make good on decades of promises. It blinked. By Damian Paletta  •  Read more » There’s a Trump tweet for everything, failed Obamacare repeal edition From "nobody can do that like me" to "I'm not going to own it." By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   Here’s what Canada and Mexico will hate about Trump’s NAFTA plans Four goals stand out. By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   Trump’s voter commission is now facing at least 7 federal lawsuits NAACP LDF suit, the latest, alleges racially discriminatory intent. By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   The Finance 202 Your daily guide to where Wall Street meets Washington. Sign Up »         Share Wonkbook:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for a Wonkblog newsletter. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071