President Donald Trump’s social media activity spiked over the weekend as he sought to turn up the pressure on Senate Republicans. | Justin Merriman/Getty Images Trump reissues Obamacare criticisms

Frustrated by the Senate’s failure last week to advance legislation to repeal Obamacare, President Donald Trump on Monday called for cutting key payments to health insurers and ending a subsidy for congressional staffers who purchase insurance through the Obamacare exchanges.

“If ObamaCare is hurting people, & it is, why shouldn't it hurt the insurance companies & why should Congress not be paying what public pays?” Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday morning.


The president’s online comment was similar to one made Sunday on CNN by Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, who relayed to “State of the Union” anchor Jake Tapper a conversation he had had with Trump .

“If Obamacare is hurting people — and it is — then why shouldn't it hurt insurance companies and, more importantly perhaps for this discussion, members of Congress?” Mulvaney said.

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trump’s social media activity spiked over the weekend as he sought to turn up the pressure on Senate Republicans who last week failed to advance legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in the wake of the failed vote that it was time to move on from repeal-and-replace efforts, but Trump wrote online over the weekend that GOP lawmakers would be “total quitters” if they moved away from health care and on to other issues.

The president’s threat Monday that he could cut subsidy payments to insurers, known as cost-sharing reduction payments, followed a similar threat made on Twitter over the weekend. Those payments help reduce insurance expenses for some low-income individuals who purchase health coverage through Obamacare. The president’s suggestion that he might cut them has been met by bipartisan opposition.