Grassley takes ‘wait and see’ approach to Trump conflicts, health care

Jan. 13--U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley responded to points of President-elect Donald Trump's press conference with caution, treading carefully over how the businessman will separate himself from his global enterprises.

"It's a little bit different for the president and vice president because there are laws that apply to Chuck Grassley and Cabinet people that don't apply to them," Grassley told reporters on a conference call Thursday morning.

"And the fact that his resources are in real estate, that if you had to sell them right now it'd be like a fire sale, and you know what that would do to him and his family ..."

The Iowa Republican said he would "continue to have questions" but "without any inference that there's anything wrong" in Trump's handling of his many business holdings both at home and abroad.

Trump allotted a significant amount of time during his Wednesday morning press conference to discuss how he plans to separate himself from the Trump Organization as president, telling the audience he will turn over control of the company to his two adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump.

"They are going to be running it in a very professional manner," the president-elect said. "They are not going to discuss it with me. Again, I don't have to do this. They're not going to discuss it with me."

For Grassley, a "key factor" in Trump's severing ties with the business will be to monitor Fred Fielding, the "so-called ethics officer" appointed by the president-elect for final authority on all business decisions.

"It ought to be transparent, otherwise, what's the point of having it?" Grassley asked. "The ethics officer is going to show the American people he hasn't had any involvement in any of the businesses so there can't be any conflicts of interest. From that standpoint, you know, I'll just have to wait and see."

The six-term senator expressed confusion about the hubbub in D.C. over Trump's hotels, one of which is the Old Post Office Building only blocks from the White House, questioning why some people would perceive foreign leaders staying there as a potential conflict of interest.

"I don't quite understand the question that if somebody comes to Washington, D.C., and they stay at the hotel, that that's got anything to do with conflict of interest for the president, who's so far removed," Grassley said. "But that always pops up here in this town. Maybe I'll get an explanation of why that's something to worry about. But it seems pretty far-fetched to me."

Grassley also fielded questions Thursday about Republicans' plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama's signature health care law, which took a blow earlier in the day with Senate passage of a budget resolution to set the wheels of repeal in motion.

Despite GOP efforts to disassemble the law -- which has insured 20 million Americans since it took full effect in 2014 -- it has not put forth any bill replacing the ACA.

"I think I should say, if it was ideal, you'd have the replacement in the bill of repeal. But here's where we are politically," Grassley said. "We said the first thing we were going to do for several elections -- not just the last one -- we said one of the first things we're going to do if we ever get a chance to do it is repeal Obamacare. Well, if it's going to take a year to get a replacement or even six months to get a replacement, then quite frankly, you aren't delivering on your promise."

Even with uncertainty swirling around the insurance industry about the potential shakeup, Grassley maintained the "overall goal is to make sure people have a smooth transition" from the six-year-old system to the Republicans' model.

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, also expressed support for the Senate vote in a statement Thursday.

"Throughout my 99 county tour across Iowa, I hear countless stories from Iowans facing premium increases, as well as skyrocketing out of pocket costs like deductibles and copays that they simply cannot afford," Ernst said. "Folks have been demanding relief from ObamaCare, and made it clear when they sent me to Washington in 2014, and they reiterated that call in 2016. It's time to act."

The Republican-controlled Senate voted in favor of the measure 51-48, moving it to the House of Representatives.

When asked during his press conference if the Republican plan would guarantee coverage for Americans covered under the ACA, Trump called Obamacare "a complete and total disaster."

"You're going to be very, very proud, as not only the media and reporters -- can be very proud of what we put forth having to do with health care," he said.

Trump gave no specifics on what the plan would entail, only promising health care that is "far less expensive and far better."

The president-elect said a replacement plan would be submitted when Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., was confirmed as his Health and Human Services secretary.

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