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Trump Jr.'s Russia Meeting Revelations Overshadow GOP Health Care Agenda

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WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is back in the United States from the G20 summit and hitting the ground running on two key issues: tax reform and repealing and replacing Obamacare.  

Taking to Twitter the president said, " For years, even as a 'civilian,' I listened as Republicans pushed the repeal and replace of Obamacare. Now they finally have their chance!"

With Congress back from their July recess, GOP senators like Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell, R-Ky., are looking for ways to revise and adapt the original Senate health care plan to get enough votes to pass. 
 
But others, like Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have a different answer. 
 
"You the consumer should be able to choose what health care you want to buy. If you want to buy a plan with all of the bells a whistles, with all of the mandates under title one you can buy that plan," Cruz told ABC's "This Week." 
 
Cruz's Consumer Freedom Amendment would allow insurers to offer lower-cost plans that don't offer all of the benefits required by Obamacare, as long as they also offer other plans that do. 
 
However, he says if all else fails, repeal Obamacare now and come up with a plan to replace later. But not all Republican senators are on board with that idea either.
 
Meanwhile, the Trump White House also says it's still working on its other key agenda item: having some sort of tax reform passed by the end of the year. 
 
"The president's focus is a middle income tax cut, reforming the business tax system to make it competitive, and creating a tax simplification that will grow this economy," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. 

Trump Jr. Met with Russia Lawyer
 
While the president may be focused on health care and tax reform, the lurking topic of Russia was given new life after Donald Trump Jr. confirmed a New York Times report that he, Jared Kushner and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort met with a Russian lawyer during the presidential campaign last year. 
 
That lawyer claimed to have pertinent information about Hillary Clinton's ties to Russia. 

Trump Jr. said in a statement, "No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information."
 
Trump Jr. says he left after he realized that. Meanwhile, a spokesman says President Trump wasn't aware of and didn't attend the meeting. 
 
The president has also taken some criticism for his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Hamburg, after he asked Putin about Russian interference in the U.S. election. 

Putin denied it, but White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus says Trump didn't believe him.

But even though Russia stories will likely be around for months to come, the White House remains focused on its priorities - replacing the collapsing Obamacare system and passing a tax plan to get the weak economy growing at much stronger pace.
 

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About The Author

Amber C.
Strong

Amber Strong joined the CBN News team in Washington, D.C., in 2014 as a producer and field producer. Currently, she works as a correspondent, producer, and backup anchor for "The Brody File." Her beat includes national politics and The White House. And while she loves her current backyard of Washington, D.C., she’s a Hoosier girl at heart. Amber lives and breathes all things entertainment and politics and has had the privilege of interviewing some of the biggest names in both industries, including late night host Jimmy Fallon and presidential contender Rick Santorum. However, her true love is