. in for wolf blitzer. it is 1:00 p.m. here in washington. wherever you are watching from around the world, thank you so much for joining us. we're keeping our eye on the white house briefing room. we are waiting for the briefing this hour. it's the first since house republicans won the vote on their plan to repeal and replace obamacare. we're going to take you there live as soon as it starts. and in the meantime, what is next for the bill? is a date with the senate. don't expect a quick resolution there. some senate republicans say it could be a month to a month and a half before they have a working plan of their own. joining me now from capitol hill is cnn congressional correspondent phil mattingly.

we have cnn national correspondent jason carroll. he is in new jersey with president trump. and cnn money senior writer tammy is in new york. phil, let's start with you. what is the first step now for senate republicans? >> find consensus. that seems simple. the same ideological divisions we saw play out in such a manner over here in the house exist in the senate but with a much slamsla slimmer margin for error. they've made clear they're going to rewrite portions of the bill. if you look what's happening. senators have formed a working group. 13 republican senators really spanning the ideological spectrum of the conference to try to figure out a path forward. they know they can't take something to the floor without really knowing where their votes are. what they're going to look to change, think about the core of everything we've been discussing over the course of the last six weeks, the medicaid eck panxpan

even the house decision to defund planned parenthood. all of those issues are on the table. whatever the senate brings forth and as you know this is going to take time and a lot of effort. but whatever they bring forward is un doubtedly going to look very different from the bill we've been talking about. >> jason, tell us a little bit about what president trump is doing in maybe in response and sort of what's incoming when it comes to something that he said as he was celebrating this victory. he was talking to the australian prime minister. he had this to say. >> we have a failing health care. i shouldn't say this to our great gentleman and my friend from australia because you have better health care than we do, but we're going to have great health care very soon. >> you have better health care than we do. he's saying about what is really a public option that resembles more what bernie sanders would

want than what house republicans would want. this is becoming quite an issue, jason. >> absolutely. and expect this issue to be brought up multiple times during the briefing which is going to be taking place just about half hour from now. there are going to be a lot of questions here. who's covered. who's not covered. what sort of policy changes we might see when the senate gets ahold of this. very clear, though, up until this point, brianna, that the president and vice president have worked very hard to get this legislation where it is at this point. looking forward, the vice president for his part is going to keep making those relations, best relations that he can up there on the hill. he's been attending a lot of senate policy meetings up until this point. there is some thought that the president might start making calls as soon as this weekend. but there's also this thought that you want to wait for the congressional budget office to sort of weigh in with its findings before you get that real heavy push. the president for his part

feeling optimistic. you heard him there speaking to the prime minister of australia. he also tweeted the following. he said big win in the house. very exciting. but when everything comes around with the inclusion of phase two, we will have truly great health care. phase two obviously meaning when the senate gets ahold of this particular part of the legislation. looking forward to the briefing which is scheduled to start just about half an hour from now. you're not going to see the familiar face we're a customed to seeing up there giving these briefings. press secretary sean spicer has another obligation, so instead we're going to have sarah sanders, the press secretary having her first public briefing. >> tammy, let's talk about phase one. what we saw in the house bill. break this down for us. you can't have everyone winning. there are some winners and there are some losers here. >> sure. there are going to be people who win. the younger people who will be able to have lower premiums.

they are going to be healthy people who may have more choice. and there are going to be people in the middle class who are now going to get subsidies. people who make now $48,000 or more they don't get help buying premiums and they're pretty expensive. the republican plan for the tax credit offers more help to the people in the middle class and the wealthy are not going to have to pay all of those obamacare taxes. when it comes to the losers, there are 24 million people who -- there are be lower income people who won't be able to afford coverage because the refundable tax credits are not going to be as generous as the obamacare subsidies. you're going to have older people who will be charged higher premiums by insurers and this is going to be a big problem for a lot of people. >> certainly as tammy, thank you so much, jason, phil, we do appreciate that. i want to bring in now republican congresswoman marsha

blackburn of tennessee. she served as a vice chair for the trump transition team. congresswoman, you were a yes on this repeal bill. 20 of your republican colleagues said no, though. some of them had concerns about how many americans with pre-existing conditions will be covered by this plan. we're showing as well we have a screen that shows you some of the things that qualify as a pre-existing condition. some discretion. quite a bit of discretion up to the insurance companies. to be here, is there part of this bill that you have reservations about? if so, which part? >> i think that there is an excellent piece out today that addresses the pre-existing component. it was done my kathy mcmorris rogers who personalizes this issue with her and i would encourage the viewers to look it up. >> republican congresswoman in house leadership we should

mention. >> that's exactly right. and i encourage them to read that. you also have the mcarthur and upton amendments that address this. brianna, i think it's important when you look at the history of how pre-existing conditions became an issue, you go back to 2006 and it was a republican bill that first brought forward those accountabilities that were necessary to put on the insurance industry to make certain that individuals with pre-existing conditions be covered. what we're trying to do is to refine that process and to make certain that everyone has access to affordable health care. >> you're talking -- you talk about these amendments. some of them would, if you had, for instance, a state that decided to use waivers so that there were folks who had pre-existing conditions, they could be moved into high risk pools the idea being there would be money put aside to back stop

those costs. >> that's right. >> but everywhere i'm looking at the assessments of this as we right now the congressional budget office has not weighed in on this, all of the assessments say it's not enough money in that case to back stop and to be able to pay what it would take to cover effectively those people with pre-existing conditions. >> i probably have more faith in our states, our state legislators and also our health care delivery systems. there are so many people who come to us every single day and someone like me who is on health sub committee and they're saying look, we have ways to innovate. we have ways to deliver more efficiently. we have the innovations and technology to deliver more effectively the yoout-- to make those with chronic issues are

gathering information. i think our states are looking forward to the opportunity. i had a phone call yesterday from a state legislator who said you know, we've waited a long time to see medicaid block granted back to the states. >> can you flpledge, though, ca you say to people who are worried who have pre-existing conditions, can you say to them that they do not need to worry about their premiums rising? can you pledge that will not happen? >> i think that individuals are going to be very pleased with the options that are there. you can look at the -- >> but what about people, what about individuals specifically -- >> this is what i'm saying. you look at the palmer language that does the invisible risk pool that has worked so well in the state of maine and putting that into play. the goal is to make certain that these individuals have access, better access, more continuation

of access. and one of the problems with -- >> will their premiums rise, congresswoman? >> my hope would be that their premiums would not rise. >> but can you assure them. i hear that's your hope. can you assure them -- >> well, brianna -- >> will not rise as a result of this legislation? >> look at the promises that were made by then president obama. >> well, no. this is something you voted on. this is -- i understand what you're saying. look, we've talked all about the pledges. you keep your doctor. we know what happened. >> and that premiums would go down. look at what has happened even this year. >> but what about your plan? now it's your plan. now there's a plan you have voted on. ? ? my state of tennessee -- >> can you pledge that the premiums will not rise as a result of this? >> you have a third of the counties in the state that only -- >> but congresswoman i'm talking about people with pre-existing conditions. >> those injuries --

>> congresswoman black turn, i'm talking about people with pre-existing conditions. >> are you pledging that their premiums will not rise -- >> those with pre-existing conditions have no coverage so their premiums are going through the roof. >> will their premiums rise -- can you say -- >> what we anticipate is that individuals are going to see their premiums go down or stabilize and they are going to be able to have access to affordable health care. that is what they want. >> but congresswoman, can i ask you -- please respect that i'm asking you a question because i'm not getting -- i'm not feeling like i'm getting the answer to it. >> that's because you don't want to hear what we have to say about it. >> no, i do. this is the big issue. >> it is a big issue. pre-existing conditions is an incredible important issue. >> can you say their premiums will not increase as a result of this legislation? that's the knock right now on this. >> the knock on this right now is something that those who do not want to see it succeed are

going to continue to make. >> will people who have pre-existing conditions, can you, awe sure them their premiums will not rise? >> you're not going to give it a chance. the goal and what we are striving for and what our commitment is is to have everyone have access to affordable health care. they don't have that right now. the premiums have gone through the roof. there are individuals -- look at what is happening in the state of eiowa. >> so their premiums will not go through the roof with pre-existing conditions. >> the goal is to make certain they do not. >> can you pledge that it won't happen? >> what we're doing right now is not working. we're losing coverage in the marketplace is imploding. >> all right. >> we have to take steps to stabilize it. our goal is to make certain that everyone, pre-existing conditions or not, have access to affordable health care. that's what we're working

toward. >> all right. congresswoman, marsha blackburn, thank you so much. hope to have you back and get an answer to that question. we do appreciate it. >> i gave you one. >> coming up, we are awaiting the white house press briefing. as the president takes a victory lap on health care, is he ready for a bigger fight ahead in the senate? we'll have our panel with us next weighing in. start your day with the number one choice of dentists. philips sonicare removes significantly more plaque versus oral-b 7000. experience this amazing feel of clean. innovation and you. philips sonicare. save now when you buy philips sonicare. philips sonicare. as after a dvt blood clot,ital i sure had a lot to think about. what about the people i care about? ...including this little girl. and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital, but wondered, was this the best treatment for me? so i asked my doctor. and he recommended eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. yes, eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots.

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you're seeing live pictures there out of the white house. we're keeping an eye on this because the deputy press secretary will soon be coming out and taking questions from reporters. a lot of questions as you can imagine because this is the

first briefing since the house passed its obamacare repeal bill. we're standing by of course. we're going to bring that to you live as soon as it begins here in several minutes. president trump says the health care reform bill passed by the house could change a little bit in the senate. that may be an understatement. some senate republicans are already promising to start over and draft their own version of the bill. senator lamar alexander, quote, we're writing a senate bill and not passing the house bill. we'll take whatever good ideas we find there that meet our goals. lets bring in our panel. political anmi-- so it sounds l this is getting completely scrapped. the senate republicans don't even want to touch it. >> i think that's right. you always think of the senate as sort of the cooling house. this was a hot potato in the house. they wanted to get it off their plate and move it to the senate

just to keep this momentum going around health care. yes, they're essentially going to start over. the one that was scored by the cbo wasn't deficit neutral. this has to be deficit neutral. i think the flexibility with pre-existing conditions and the mandates around that, that's probably going to change in the senate as well from the folks i've talked to who were senate aides. so they've already begun some of the conversations about that. there were meetings yesterday on the hill around this. it's going to look different. it might quite frankly be closer to obamacare light. >> that's what i was going to say. the controversial things are here to lower subsidies that help people afford health insurance and how you're treating people with pre-existing conditions. it sounds like republicans in the senate are really worried about those changes. >> let's talk about the realities too. this is not uncommon for the house of representatives to put forth their version of what they

think legislation should be and the senate doing the same as well. you have senate republicans who are not in nearly as much political peril as you are house republicans which is why we saw this rush to really get a political vote on the board yesterday. which we saw. what we did see from two very important people which just goes to talk to you about how long this could drag out, two people involved, mitch mcconnell, the senate republican leader said that the senate consideration will be scheduled following the completion, procedural and budgetary score keeping reviews meaning the senate is not really going to take any action on this until they see what the congressional budget office does to see what they think will be the score, how many people will be kicked off or how many people will help. of course, lamar alexander who is going to shepard it through the senate says it's great. we're going to finish the work on our own bill, let's be clear about that -- >> not this thing ha passed

yesterday. >> and we're going to take time to get it right. those are pretty telling language from republicans in the senate. >> jeff, you've been watching president trump go through a learning process through the different attempts to get this passed. at least in the house. what has it been like watching that and what is your expectation about what he'll do now as senate will be considering? >> i think based on what white house officials are telling us, he's engaged and i think he learned from the first couple times about what -- why they went wrong, why it didn't happen and is trying to avoid some of those mistakes. clearly it's a win for him that he had this vote at all and that it was successful. very shortly after the 100 day milestone. he wants it to be -- he wants to take it all the way to the finish line. he's listening. he's sort of the person who at least the white house officials are portraying as bringing it all the way to the end after reince priebus and others are involved in the negotiations up

on that part. >> can he have the same kind of sway with senate republicans when you consider that they have just the numbers are tougher for them? also you do have some republicans who are more moderate than you would see in the house. >> for sure. i think that's a good question and i think the pre-existing condition that we were just talking about, that piece and president trump's background on that piece where he's actually always been very supportive of that being in health care legislation will be key on that. >> in some ways i think the sway is that republicans have to get something done on this. this is what they campaigned on. so i think it's going to be very difficult for them not to do something. get something out of it and pass it back to the house. >> we said that we would do this, we have to do it and do to now. >> just because the senate does something and because the house has done something doesn't mean they're going to agree. they could do all they want and there's potential that nothing comes out of this. >> going into recess for republicans, what does that look like and how does that affect the process, mark?

>> well, it all depends how organized the democratic opposition is to this. they do seem like they're organized. if you're watching town halls next week where house republicans are back and you hear a lot of people that are angry, understand that they have probably been mobilized or energized by the left. but still for a lot of republicans upwards of 20 or so could really face an incredible amount of backlash and could perhaps lose in 2018 because of this vote. >> is this one of these issues health care that if you touch it, it sort of has a taint? it seems like there's no way to make most people happy and ultimately there's always a backlash against it. >> we certainly saw that with democrats when they passed obamacare. i think their hope right now is that that's going to taint and hurt a lot of the republicans who took risky votes in the house yesterday and will be going back to their districts and running for reelection next year. >> thank you so much.

jeff, mark, nia, and coming up, bouncing back. the brand new jobs report shows unemployment at its lowest level in ten years. how much credit does president trump deserve? our panel will weigh in. plus we're standing by for the white house press briefing and questions about how the president will get the health care bill through the senate. those are live pictures that you're looking at. we'll be monitoring this and we'll be right back. communicati that's why a cutting edge university counts on centurylink to keep their global campus connected. and why a pro football team chose us to deliver fiber-enabled broadband to more than 65,000 fans. and why a leading car brand counts on us to keep their dealer network streamlined and nimble. businesses count on communication, and communication counts on centurylink. their leadership is instinctive.

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we're keeping our eye on live pictures at the white house while the president is at his golf club in new jersey. one of his aides at the white house is going to be speaking to reporters at any moment. we'll be keeping an eye on this as soon as she takes the podium. good news for the white house. cnn money chief business correspondent explains for us. >> the headline here, 4.4%, why is that number so notable? it's the lowest jobless rate since before the recession. since before the economy blew up. since before millions of jobs were lost, businesses closed down, factories closed and the world economy was on the brink.

4.4% is also a level many many approaching full employment. there are many who have been left behind, have dropped out of the labor market, no real reason to explain why they're not in the labor market. all about 5 million or 6 million jobs that are open today. interesting mismatch going on that will be a policy for this problem and this administration going forward. let's talk about where the jobs were created. 211,000 net new jobs. that was double the amount created in march. it looks as though companies are hiring again. they're hiring in health care. 37,000 new jobs in health care in the month. when you go back to when obamacare was signed, million and a half new health care jobs had been created. this is a an area that has seen so much job creation because so

many people were leaving the ranks the uninsured and so hospitals have been adding facilities and add be jogs. manufacturing also a notable category. 6,000 manufacturing jobs created in the month. when you look at the last three months, you've seen job creation. so many economists are crediting donald trump and his rhetoric for causing some job creation in the manufacturing sector. >> christine, thank you so much. president trump has promised that he would be the greatest jobs producer god ever created. that still remains to be seen. today's jobs report certainly cannot hurt. i want to bring back our panel now. we have jeff mason, mark preston and nia-malika henderson. this is the thing. if something good happens and it's on your watch, you kind of get credit. but how much can donald trump in reality claim this as a win? >> completely, right? i mean, you know, there is obviously obama should get some

credit as well. president trump will take all the credit. i don't think obama, his job numbers were horrible at this point. he probably was blaming bush at that point. but yeah, give him the credit. i think he's had a good show of it in terms of what the stock market is doing, what consumer confidence is looking like. certainly in terms of how people feel about the economy. i think a lot of people rightfully credit him because he is talking the economy up and these job numbers show there is confidence and people are hiring. >> they're optimistic about the future. real credit, where does he deserve credit? if you're looking at the top two or three things you think he gets credit for, what would those be? >> i think the big success has been getting justice gorsuch on the supreme court. this health care vote yesterday and i would add the relationship that president trump is building with president xi of china. i think that's going to have lots of ramifications going forward for this administration

and both countries. >> i would say that his fear that he is instilled in the business community in order to try to get them on board to what his plan is, i do think he deserves credit for that. quite frankly, he is in office so he deserves credit for the job creation because he's going to get blame when something bad happens under his watch. i also think quite frankly and while liberals and democrats will hate me saying this is his use of the executive order to put through his campaign promises that he says would help spur business. that's arguable. we can have that debate. but the fact of the matter is he hasn't been afraid to pull out that pen and sign a piece of paper that he thinks is going to put the country in the right direction. >> what do you think? >> i think real victory for him is that he's been able to remain himself. using twitter in the way that he wants to use it. the sort of interesting relationship with the truth. it hasn't really paid much of a

plig pri political price for it. his base is still largely with him. i think it's also sort of a victory that the resistance movement is still a theory no. victories yet. they couldn't do it in kansas. we'll see what happens. and then the economy as well with some of these good numbers coming out on him being able to take some of the credit for. >> he has a finite amount of time here as we head into what will become a very political season for the midterm elections. right, jeff? it seems sometimes like that 100 days is sort of an artificial short amount of time to get a lot done. maybe it says this is what's important to me, i'm showing you my priorities. how much time does he really have to get things done before the works get a little gummed up? >> i think it's interesting how he handled the 100 days. he said it was a ridiculous milestone and yet it was clearly so important to him to have certain things on his list that he could check off. so they worked really hard that week to show what he had achieved. if you look at president obama's first couple years, he had about

two years to get policy through. he got health care through at the end of the that two year period. i think with president trump, you're right, we'll start seeing the political season really heat up this fall in terms of the midterms already which is early. we've got tax reform that he wants to get done. he'll probably start working on that really hard this summer. he's still got several months, but he doesn't have a lot more time than that. >> we forget how quickly capital can run out and donald trump started with a little less than our incoming president. >> his approval rating is 44% after 100 days. i guess what's surprising is his base has stuck with him so tightly at such a high number. his number with his base isn't like high 60s, 70s. >> even as he chaennges his min on some of the products. >> president xi is an example. he calls him a currency

manipulator and then pats him on the back. he's able to flip a switch after saying something negative and then something positive and then is accepted, it's amazing. >> his supporters seem to feel that's smart. >> he's a great negotiator. >> but it defies that flip flopping criticism that so many politicians would get. his ability to 180 is something that his supporters think is a good move. >> and he said, you know, that he is flexible and he can change his mind and people change their minds. it's a very human thing, right? that he changes his mind. i think the sort of intensity as you say of the attachment that his supporters feel for him, that's going to be a hard thing to shake. i think they're going to give him a real long, long runway. >> his unpredictability is very scary and world leaders are scared about that and republicans on capitol hill are scared about that. >> we have a two minute warning here for the white house press

briefing. and we are awaiting the deputy press secretary. so tell us about this, jeff, because this is the first time that we will have heard from sarah and it could be a different brief be than we see with sean spicer. >> she has a different style. she has briefed before, just not with the cameras before. she briefs on air force one. she's done off camera briefings. she's in the middle of everything. so she knows what she's talking about. but the stylistic difference. >> if you were to describe sean spicer as fill in the blank, how will you describe her? >> i think probably sarah is a little less combative than sean, but i don't she will not be -- >> she's tough. >> it's interesting how she frames this week. in some ways this is the best week of donald trump's young presidency. with these job numbers, with the house bill, the health care bill coming out of the house. we'll see what kind of cheerleader she is for the boss.

>> it will be a lot of smiles at that podium today. no question about it. will she tell our viewers who she is. she's mike huk ckaby's daughter >> as i mentioned yesterday when we spoke, sean is on reserve duty with the navy, so you guys are stuck with me for one more day. thankfully for each of you he'll be back on monday. yesterday we heard from the president, vice president and other administration officials and house republicans about our historic first step to repealing and replacing obamacare. as they gsaid in the rose garde, this isn't a victory for any one politician or political party. it's a win for the american people. democrats always claim that they're in favor of choice when it comes to health care which is weird to me because obamacare is the opposite of choice. obamacare imposed one size fitz all will of so-called policy experts in washington, d.c. on

states instead of allowing those closer to the communities to taylor their health care system to the needs of their people. the american health care act returns flexibility and accountability back to the states where they can make informed decisions about their own populations. we look forward to seeing the senate take up the bill in short order so that we can move even closer to giving the american people the health care system they deserve. we've got a few things going on as usual here in the white house. & across the administration. this morning's jobs report showed that the president's economic agenda of serious tax reform, slashes regulations, rebuilding our infrastructure and negotiating fair trade deals is adding jobs. we added over 2,000 new jobs in april and unemployment fell a a ten year low. we saw expansion in the sectors of the economy the president has had a particular focus on, construction, manufacturing, and mining. we've made some very important

progress over the last ten days realizing a bold plan for tax reform, moving the health care bill through the house and funding our government. the president and his entire team will continue this laser focus on creating jobs for hard working americans and growing the u.s. economy. it's also sink co cinco de mayo contributions mexican americans have made and continue to make. yesterday at the personal request the vice president joined labor secretary acosta, the mexican ambassador to the united states, and many others for a celebration reception. the vice president closed his remarks by echoing the president's promise to show great heart as we move forward with real and positive immigration reform and sharing the story of his own grandparents who themselves took a chance by leaving ireland for the land of opportunity and freedom. finally, on a much lighter note,

i wanted to make sure to note that everyone at the department of interior is having their first ever bring your dog to workday. becoming the first federal department to go dog friendly. according to secretary, having dogs in the workplace can help reduce stress, so if anyone is up for a field trip later, let me know because i'm pretty sure that everybody here could use a little stress reliever. with that i'll take your questions. >> sarah, welcome to the podium. >> thank you. >> on the process -- >> does that mean you're going to be super nice today, right? >> on the process of getting the american health care act through the senate, there's some talk that they may have to go back to the drawing board as you know. it was an awfully heavy lift getting it through the house. does the president expect that the process in the senate could be even more difficult? >> look, i think that the one thing that you can be sure of is to never under estimate this president. i think he's shown time and time

again when he's committed to something it's going to get done. he's made no secret he's committed to reforming the health care system. you're going to see that process take place. we're not going to get ahead of the legislative process. we expect there to be some changes. but we expect the principles and the main pillars of the health care bill to remain the same. >> it sounds like there could almost be wholesale changes here. and is it possible for the -- i know this is a little bit of hypothetical, but if the senate makes substantial changes to what passed the house, is it ever going to get out? i think we're focused on the big principles of the health care bill, lowering costs, creating environment, giving states the ability to make decisions within the health care system. we don't expect those things to change. again, i feel like there will be some changes. that's part of the process. the legislative process. we fully anticipate that to play out. but we expect the big piece of

this is the fact that obamacare is simply unsustainable. democrats know that. republicans know that. the american people know that. we have to have change. that's what we're going to get. we fully anticipate that to take place. >> sarah, the senate tends to be a more deliberate body. how patient is the president on this? he obviously has other priorities he's working on. does he feel there needs to be an artificial deadline perhaps on when this bill needs to go to conference perhaps by the fourth of july? >> the president is focused on getting it right and not getting it fast. we saw the mistakes democrats made by trying to force and rush this through. we're taking the appropriate steps to make sure the american people get the health care system they deserve. that's the president's commitment. not an artificial timeline. >> is it fair to say this should be called trumpcare? >> i said this yesterday. but we're not focused on labels. what this president wants to be

remembered for is not the nim that's put on it but the person that got rid of obamacare and put a system in place that actually worked for the american people. that's the type of legacy he'd like to be focused on is being the president that actually reformed health care to benefit americans instead of bankrupt. call it what you want but we're calling it reform. >> to follow-up on the question about timeline. the senator said we're not under any deadline. i heard you in your opening remarks said you expect the senate to take this up in short order are you on the same page? >> we expect them to take it up meaning take up the conversation. this is a process. we haven't put a timeline or deadline. we want to get it right. that's the focus. >> you know it could take months. is that okay with the president? is he willing to wait that long? >> look, again, we want to wait to get it right, not to put an artificial deadline. the administration has not laid

out a time frame on when we want this to happen. we want to make sure it gets done correctly. >> ask you about some of the criticism the aarp says this amounts to an age tax on other medical organizations have expressed concerns that those living with pre-existing conditions will in fact see their premiums go up. so can you guarantee americans, people living with pre-existing conditions, seniors, that they won't see hikes in their premiums and what they pay for health care? >> one of the biggest priorities of this health care plan and this health care bill, particularly for the president, was ensuring that people with pre-existing conditions were protected. the final bill added an additional $8 billion to go a step further to provide another layer of protection for -- >> i understand that. but they call that a band-aid. they say it's not enough money. >> that's not the only piece of it that has coverage for pre-existing conditions. the president wanted to focus on those most vulnerable, whether people with pre-existing

conditions or the unborn. he was certainly focused on protecting the most vulnerable. >> can the president guarantee those americans -- >> this is like 12 question friday. >> but can those with pre-existing conditions and older americans guarantee they won't see hikes? >> that's the whole point of the bill to lower costs across the board. not just for those with pre-existing conditions but to create competitions so you have lower premiums, to give states flexibility. that's the entire purpose of reforming this system is to have lower costs. so yes, that would be the goal and certainly again the priority of the president. >> really interesting i thought surprising story saying that there's a plan by the trump administration to gut the national -- the office of national drug control policy. i'm just wondering if you could tell us is that report correct and why is the thinking -- obviously he cares about the opioid addiction problem. we've talked about that. what would be the reason for

gutting that office to move it somewhere else? i've got a french election question also. >> look, my first piece of advice would never be to use politico for a source of your story, but when it comes to the opioid epidemic i think he's been clear this is a top priority. i certainly wouldn't get ahead of a conversation about the budget. we haven't had a final document. i think it would be ridiculous to comment on a draft version of something at this point. >> would you loosely address the idea that he's contemplating a substantial cut to that office and to move that sort of work outside of that office? >> i'm not going to comment on ongoing discussions. again, there's not a final document. when there is, we'd be happy to discuss that. i think the bigger point is the president has made very clear that the opioid epidemic in this country is a huge priority for him. something he has certainly very focused on tackling. and something that i think was

ignored by the previous administration that won't go ignored in this one. >> i've got france. french elections, does -- we know president obama has a dog in the fight. does president trump have a dog in the fight? if so, who? and if not, does he have a prediction? >> i haven't had the opportunity to have a conversation with him about whether or not he supports any particular candidate. but i can tell you that the president will work with whoever the people of france decide to elect. that's a decision that they need to make. the president's committed to working with leaders across the globe to combat a whole host of issues and would do that with whoever the people elect. >> could you just address -- two questions i should say. not 12 though. the president's comments yesterday, does he really think that australia's government run universal health care system was better than ours? >> i think he was being complimentary of the prime minister and i don't think it was much more than that. >> i want to ask you about this

case out of maryland. as you probably know, the prosecutors have dropped the rape charges against the two undoumed tee undou undocumented teens attacked of attacking the classmate. sean spicer said a big part the president has made immigration and crack down a big deal because of tragedies like this. did this white house unfairly jump to conclusions in this case? >> we're always looking to protect speaking about what he knew at the time. i haven't had a chance to dive into the. >> i'm not going to retract anything without further information. >> have you talked to sean and does he have any regrets? >> i have not talked to saean. he is on navy duty where you don't carry your phone around. i talk to him every day but i

haven't yet today. when i do i will certainly ask him. >> is there a general danger that the white house through its rhetoric is animating too many people to jump to conclusions against immigrants and in the process? >> not at all. the president has been incredibly outspoken against crime in any form, fashion, certainly from his joint address to his speech last week on the holocaust remembrance day. this is a law and order president. he's focused on restoring law and order. wee se we've seen a spike in crime starting in 2015, across the board. i think that's why he campaigned and talked so much about needing to restore law and order in this country. it's why he's focused on securing our border, stopping drug trafficking,

i think the reason is because he places such a high value on that and i think to call into question his rhetoric to be anything other than somebody who has condemned hate and violence in all of its forms is simply just a complete misrepresentation not only who the president is, but of what he's also -- what he said. matthew? >> thanks, sarah. back to health care, we talked about how there will be changes in the senate. you said the white house is open to that as long as the principles remain the same. i was wondering if we could get more specificity on what principles and how they are represented in the current house bill. for example, is a state's ability to waive essential health benefits and the pre-existing conditions protections that the freedom caucus negotiated so hard for, does that have to stay in the bill for the president to support it? >> look, again, i think that the biggest piece of that is to allow states that flexibility

that the people that are closest to the people getting care are the ones helping make that decision. look, i'm not going to litigate the details from here, but that's part of the legislative process and part of the ongoing discussions but i know that it's a priority for the president as well to protect people with pre-existing conditions. >> so we heard a lot of the rhetoric about repealing the affordable care act being about job creation and you said those jobs numbers at the beginning i think were in month 86 straight of job growth. we are hearing less of the talking point about obamacare killing jobs. does the president still stand by this was a job killer and that's the reason to repeal it or has he moved on from that argument? >> i certainly think he stands by that comment. >> how do you explain the consistent growth since that act was passed? >> i think other things have taken place. just because one thing may be killing jobs, that doesn't mean you can't have job growth in other sectors.

primarily the places we saw the most growth in this jobs report were in manufacturing, coal miners, other places. i certainly think you can have job growth even when there are job-killing regulations. >> back to the comment the president made to the australian prime minister, are you saying he didn't mean what he was saying when he said that they have a better health care system? >> i'm saying that the president was complimenting a foreign leader on the operations of their health care system and that it didn't mean anything more than that. >> he doesn't believe they have a better health care system? >> i think he believes they have a good health care system for australia. again, that's one of the biggest things that is wrong with obamacare. it tried to be a one size fits all. that's the opposite of what the plan is we are putting in place right now. it allows for state flexibility. what works in australia may not work in the united states. so i think again, he was complimenting the prime minister. we are focused on putting a health care plan in place that works here. >> the pentagon said today a

navy s.e.a.l. was killed in somalia, first in quite some time. does the white house have a comment on that? was the president briefed on that? >> the president has been briefed on that. he spoke directly with general mcmaster earlier today. obviously we first and foremost want to express our deepest condolences and our deepest appreciation for all of the men and women in the military and the ultimate sacrifice that they paid, particularly this soldier and all of the others. the president has made it certainly a major priority to protect the men and women who protect us. that's one of the reasons that he wanted to put so much emphasis on rebuilding the military and that was a priority for him in the budget and again, our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to all of the men and women in uniform, particularly this family. >> can we expect a statement from him? >> from the president? i don't know at this time.

i know he doesn't want to get ahead of the notification process and that's still taking poli place at this point. >> [ inaudible ] taxpayers' money by working from bedminster rather than new york city. wouldn't he save more money by working out of the white house? why is he making that sort of comparison? >> look, this is the president's first time to be back in the new york metro area and he's staying at his private residence in new jersey versus staying in manhattan. had he stayed in manhattan, the disruption would have been far greater than being in new jersey. the bottom line is the president is the president no matter where he goes and he doesn't get to control the level of cost and security that may come along with that. >> he does control where he works. why doesn't he work more from the white house? he spent the last maybe 14 weekends -- >> you guys complain we work too much around here and you are too

tired. now we don't work enough? >> for purposes of costs and savings to american taxpayers which he raised this morning. >> again, this is the president's first time to go back home to the new york metro area and i think he's trying to save the taxpayers money the best way he can by taking his team and being in new jersey instead of in new york where it would have caused a much greater disruption and much greater cost to taxpayers. >> earlier, you mentioned this morning's big jobs report. you also cited the president's tax plan as one of the reasons for that job growth. are you saying the tax plan that hasn't passed yet was responsible for creating jobs in the month of april? >> what i'm saying, i think we saw from the very beginning the minute that the president was actually elected, even before he took office, you saw consumer confidence go up. we have had meetings with countless ceos, small business owners, people that are involved in job creation, come in and tell us that they are much more

confident in going out and hiring people, building their businesses and growing the economy because they have a president who actually cares about it and is focused on it like this one is. so i certainly think the environment that he is creating is much more friendly, not just through the tax reform system but by laying out those priorities, they know what's coming down the line. they have confidence in this president like they didn't in the previous one but it's not just that. it's getting rid of all the job-killing regulations we have seen through executive orders and again, a focus on rhetoric, of creating jobs. that certainly has added to that. >> still on jobs, apple announced this week it's creating a $1 billion fund to spur manufacturing job growth inside the united states. can you tell me what communications the white house has had with apple either before or after that announcement, if any? >> i'm not aware. i will have to check and get back to you on that. >> does the president still intend to sign the spending bill today? >> yes. i believe actually he signed it

just within the last hour. >> would he ever consider using, president obama for example got criticism over the years for adding signing statements to legislation to indicate where he disagreed with the bill he was signing. president bush did the same thing on a number of occasions. does this president intend to use that option? >> i'm not aware of that. that's something i have to check on and get back to you. >> you were talking a minute ago about states wanting flexibility. do you know which states are likely to seek a waiver on pre-existing conditions? >> not yet. that was something that probably hhs would have a better handle on. i would refer you to talk to them. >> i was going to ask you, before the summer travel season kicks off, we are seeing more of these airline incidents. we saw delta apologizing for what happened from that hawaii flight. we saw what happened with united. earlier this week the senate and house had some ceos on the hill. does the president want d.o.t. or faa to work more closely with

the airlines to maybe better establish what passengers can expect if they are going to get kicked off a flight or what the rules should be? would this be something where maybe the government can clarify what the law should be? >> i haven't had that conversation. that's something we certainly would have to look at. but what i could tell you is that i don't think anybody in the administration thinks the handling of some of these passengers is probably a good thing. so we want all people across the board to be treated with the utmost respect, whether that's on an airline or anywhere else. i don't know that that's a government regulation that should weigh in to do that. hopefully that's just common decency but it's certainly something worth taking a look at. >> now that the house has health care reform off its plate, they are likely to take on tax reform. does the administration have a position as to whether or not the legislation that ultimately emerges from the house ways and means committee should be deficit-neutral? >> you know, that's something that we would probably have to look at and i'm not ready to comment right now.

>> -- on the health care reform legislation that the senate will soon take up, will the administration play a part in what that deal looks like or are you going to essentially be hands-off and let the senate do its work? >> i think we made very clear we will be hands-on in this process. it's a priority to fix a very broken system. obamacare is a disaster and this isn't a president that does things hands-off. he's fully engaged on the house side. i expect him to be fully engaged on the senate side so the american people get the bill they deserve. >> two-question friday. i got two questions for you. the first one on syria. about the deescalation zones they are talking about establishing, the administration has said there's reason to be cautious about those. could you elaborate on that and explain what some of the reservations are for those deescalation zones and also, how that plays into the safe zones the president has endorsed? >> the president has expressed a

desire to achieve peace in syria. i think that's the broader mission. we are looking at all ways in order to achieve that and we haven't laid out any specifics any further than that at this point. two questions. i forgot. >> the other question, there was a report today that said there's an effort at the white house to start limiting the number of people in senior staff meetings down from 15 to eight and i was wondering first if there's any truth to that and who are in these senior staff meetings these days? the 15 people? or the eight for that matter? >> sometimes you have big groups, sometimes you have small groups. look, meetings vary from day to day around here. i'm not going to comment on the hundreds of meetings that take place in the white house every day. >> there's no specific effort, though, to keep them down into smaller groups, or to keep certain people out of those meetings at this point? >> i think it's ridiculous to think we are trying to keep certain people out of these meetings. i think one of the greatest assets