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Concord, N.H. - In a Seacoast Online editorial board meeting, Governor Sununu praised Graham-Cassidy, saying it was "very exciting" and that it "really takes into account a lot of the things that governors are looking for." Sununu went on to list specific provisions of the bill, including a "true block grant," "real flexibilities to the states," and Medicaid "parity," saying he "hoped [Graham-Cassidy would] actively be proposed." See below for a roundup of coverage on Sununu's Trumpcare flip-flop: Concord Monitor: Sununu praises, then disavows Graham-Cassidy bill to replace Obamacare By Ethan DeWitt Monday’s dismissal of the Graham-Cassidy bill also appeared days after comments the governor made to the Portsmouth Herald that praised the senators’ proposed block grant system. In an editorial board interview, Sununu said that he and other governors had been working on legislative proposals with Sens. Graham and Cassidy that would include state-centric policies. “Today the Senate’s going to put forward a proposal that really takes into account a lot of the things governor’s are looking for — a real flexibility to the state, a true block grant, things of that nature” he said, according to audio from the interview. “I think we’ve given then some great ideas in terms of where to go, and what the implementers of our departments want to see.” Earlier Monday, the editorial board comments were seized on by the New Hampshire Democratic Party, which distributed a clip of the interview audio and called for a telephone campaign to the governor’s office. Following the governor’s announcement Mondayafternoon, party officials accused the governor of flip-flopping on his position in the face of pressure. Nashua Telegraph: Sununu backs away from proposal By Damien Fisher A week after he claimed credit for helping to craft the latest Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is backing away from the measure introduced in the U.S. Senate. The plan is the Graham-Cassidy health care law, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., something that Sununu lauded in an interview a week ago. Sununu said he and the governors took part in a conference call with Graham and Cassidy to discuss what they want to see in a new health care law. “I think we’ve give(n) them some great ideas of where to go,” he said... The Graham-Cassidy proposal would cut spending on Medicaid, shut down the Medicaid expansion, as well as do away with protections for pre-existing conditions. The funding for states under the bill would come from block grants, something that Sununu has supported in the past. New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley said Sununu’s about-face on the bill is an example of the type of leadership Granite Staters have come to expect from the governor. “Today, Sununu reaffirmed what we already knew: That he is spineless and has no qualms with completely reversing position on a dime depending on what benefits him politically,” Buckley said. “He is fighting for himself, not for New Hampshire.”
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