ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
Health care premiums will likely rise for millions of Americans early next year after the Senate rejected dueling health care bills this week. And President Trump faces pushback from within his own party on redistricting and strikes against what the administration says are drug boats. NPR's national political correspondent Don Gonyea joins us to go through all of this. Thanks for being here, Don.
DON GONYEA, BYLINE: It's a pleasure.
SCHMITZ: So, Don, on health care, these enhanced subsidies are broadly popular, according to polls. Why is it so hard to agree on a fix?
GONYEA: Well, the Affordable Care Act has always been a place where Democrats and Republicans butt heads. It's been that way since the law was passed in Obama's first term. But this current fight over whether to extend existing subsidies gets to the core of these differences, and it will have a great impact on how much health insurance costs Americans who rely on the ACA. So Republicans would rather have health savings accounts or give money directly to individuals to use on the health care of their choice. And we're just at an impasse. Last night, House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a last-minute Republican plan. It would enhance employer-sponsored health care plans. Democrats skeptical. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it completely unserious. But I guarantee you, Democrats will keep this issue front and center in the midterms.
SCHMITZ: Now, President Trump in an interview with Politico this week rated his own performance on the economy.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: A+++++.
SCHMITZ: That's a good grade. And then at a rally...
GONYEA: Right.
SCHMITZ: ...In Pennsylvania, he said, Americans can, quote, "give up certain products." We can get by with fewer pencils and dolls. Those are two consumer products I would not have thought to put together. Don, is this messaging working?
GONYEA: Well, poll after poll shows Americans are worried about inflation and affordability. As a result, Trump's approval ratings on the economy give him very low scores in that area. People are unhappy about the cost of a grocery store visit, about affording day care and on and on. And they see inflation as a big worry. But the president is, as we heard, taking a hard line, denying that affordability is anything other than a hoax that Democrats are pushing as a political issue. So he describes one economy. Americans describe a completely different place.
SCHMITZ: The House passed a $900 billion defense policy bill this week. Tucked inside this bipartisan legislation is a provision that would require the Pentagon to share with lawmakers unedited video of the strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. Now, do you think Congress is starting to show some willingness to push back against this administration?
GONYEA: It is on certain issues, including this one. Many questions have been raised regarding these strikes on alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela, particularly the one in September, where a second strike killed two survivors of the initial attack. It's still just a small number of Republicans pushing back and demanding more answers. But still, there are some. And I should underscore here that these requirements now to share the video recordings were actually just one piece of that major defense funding bill, and that bill passed by a wide margin.
SCHMITZ: Let's go on to redistricting. Indiana Republicans voted down a gerrymandered map favored by Trump despite threats from the president. Does this say something about Trump's hold on the party or is it more specific to that state?
GONYEA: We've seen some GOP pushback on redistricting elsewhere as well, but this is a deep red state. Republicans hold seven of the state's nine congressional seats. The president wanted them to redraw the district lines to set up a potential clean sweep of all nine in next year's elections. But lawmakers looked at the map and said, look, we just did this four years ago, so it is a setback for the president.
SCHMITZ: NPR's Don Gonyea. Don, thanks.
GONYEA: All right. It's my pleasure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
