President Trump previewed a “lean” federal budget on Monday that he said will call on Republicans to address the “failed disaster” of Obamacare, and will also include a major proposal on new infrastructure spending.
“We’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare and give states the flexibility that they need to make the end result really, really good for them,” Trump said in remarks to a meeting of the National Governors Association. “The Affordable Care Act is no longer affordable.”
“I’m going to have a big statement tomorrow night on infrastructure,” the president added.
Trump noted that his efforts to overhaul the tax code, something he promised to do repeatedly on the campaign trail, could not begin until Congress passed healthcare reform.
Trump said Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democratic supporter of Hillary Clinton, had praised the performance of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly during a private meeting.
“I must say that we’ve been treated well — very, very well — on the job that Gen. Kelly has done at the border,” Trump said. “We’re getting some very, very bad players out of this country. That’s what we’re focused on. The press isn’t covering that, unfortunately.”
White House officials said earlier Monday that the president’s budget would include a $54 billion increase in defense spending.
Trump is expected to lay out a more detailed policy roadmap during his highly-anticipated speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. His remarks at the governors’ lunch offered a glimpse at the areas Trump would address in the speech.
“I want trade, I want great trade between countries, but the word ‘free’ is very deceiving because it’s good for them, it’s not good for us,” Trump said. “If we’re going to be taxed, they should be taxed the same amount.”
Trump has reportedly been considering a reciprocal or border tax aimed at giving companies an incentive to stay and create jobs in the U.S.
