Sen. Ron Johnson: Put healthcare reform on back burner and focus on other legislative issues – Washington Examiner

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said it is probably time for legislators to focus on areas of work like taxes and the economy while continuing to negotiate on a healthcare bill in the background.

Johnson was asked by CNN's Jake Tapper about a tweet from President Trump aimed specifically at Congress' upper chamber, stating, "Unless the Republican Senators are total quitters, Repeal & Replace is not dead! Demand another vote before voting on any other bill!"

"I really do think we probably ought to turn our attention to the debt ceiling and funding the government and tax cuts until we can really get all the parties together," Johnson said. "From my standpoint that really is getting the governors, House members, senators [and] the White House on the same page in terms of healthcare."

Tapper noted that Trump has also been critical of the Senate for leaving town with numerous campaign pledges by Republicans and the president himself still unfulfilled or languishing, such as funding and construction of a border wall, tax cuts, and plan to repeal and replace of Obamacare.

"My preference would have been to stay in session, to grapple with those issues I was talking about," Johnson said. "At the same time, getting back to the state, talking to constituents -- on Friday I traveled with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and had some really informative discussions with farmers and agriculture interests in the state. We are not on vacation. We really are working. I continue discussions on healthcare as well as taxes with my colleagues even though we're not in Washington, D.C.

Johnson went on to note that Obamacare markets are still unstable, and that the issues around healthcare "aren't going away."

With regards to the ongoing Russia investigations, a bipartisan Senate bill was introduced that would protect special counsel Robert Mueller from being fired by President Trump.

"I don't see that Bob Mueller is going to be fired," Johnson said. "But at the same time I was pretty vocal, saying I would have preferred the congressional committees, the House and Senate Intel Committees finish their work, issue their report before we begin thinking about special counsel. Let's face it, the history of special counsel, special prosecutors, sometimes they go off the rails, they start going on witch hunts. And we have enormous challenges facing this nation. We don't really need that kind of distraction."

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Sen. Ron Johnson: Put healthcare reform on back burner and focus on other legislative issues - Washington Examiner

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