President Trump Not Expected to Endorse Paul Ryan’s Obamacare-Lite Package in Congressional Address

President Donald Trump is not expected to endorse the Obamacare fix proposed by Speaker Paul Ryan (R.-Wis.) in his first address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening, sources told Breitbart News.

A senior White House aide confirmed to Breitbart News that the president’s speech will highlight his promise to repeal and replace the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), but Trump will not endorse the Ryan plan or a modified version — known now on Capitol Hill as Ryan-lite or Obamacare-lite.

Politico reported the White House Press Secretary told Republican officials that there will be no endorsement of an individual proposal:

“He’s going to outline the broad contours,” Spicer said about health care, explaining the president would not embrace a specific plan. Instead, Trump will make a bipartisan pitch to encourage Democrats to work with Republicans on fixing Obamacare, building infrastructure and crafting an immigration reform bill.

Central to the speaker’s proposal is a negative income tax, which gives tax credits for insurance premiums, whether or not the individual pays income taxes.

Ryan‘s plan is strongly opposed by the House Freedom Caucus and Sen. Rand Paul (R.-Ky.), who seek more structural reforms to the health insurance industry.

Members of the House Freedom Caucus and other Capitol Hill conservatives are livid with Ryan after he presented his own Obamacare fix as the official replacement for the PPACA.

Many conservatives, such as Sen. Michael Lee (R.-Utah), are pushing the idea that Obamacare should be repealed whether or not a replacement is in place.

A senior Senate aide told Breitbart News not to expect the president to endorse any specific healthcare plan.

Another White House source familiar with the drafting of the president’s speech told Breitbart News that Trump insists Congress must repeal Obamacare and replace it with a system that expands choice, increases access, and lowers costs.

The president is also committed to protecting Americans with pre-existing conditions who must have coverage and giving governors the flexibility and resources they need to ensure no one slips through the cracks, the source said.

As these speeches go, there is often live-editing into the teleprompter as a president is delivering the address to Congress.

Breitbart Political Editor Matthew Boyle contributed to this report.