Trump, Republicans to Hold Policy Retreat in Philly

Donald Trump and his party will visit the City of Brotherly Love to hold a two-day policy retreat this week. House and Senate members of the GOP will gather at a hotel in downtown Philly to discuss critical issues important to the party, chief among those being the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. The House will be in session only two days this week, discussing only one matter: the prospect of putting a halt to taxpayer-funded abortion. The Senate will continue with confirmation hearings of Trump’s Cabinet choices. On Wednesday, lawmakers will fly out to Philly for the retreat.

Trump will meet with Congressional Republicans to talk policy in Philadelphia this week.

This will mark the first time in over 10 years that a sitting president has attended their party’s annual policy meeting. The Philadelphia retreat will bring Trump face to face with members of the GOP, many of whom have been confused by his Twitter rants. Trump has made it clear that repealing Obamacare is one of the first steps he wants to take, but has said that he wants to replace the healthcare system concurrently, giving lawmakers a limited window of time in which to draft and vote on alternate policy. House Speaker Paul Ryan has said that Congress is “looking at exactly what is the best way to deliver on all of those reforms,” and that “that’s the process we’re going through right now.”

The fact that GOP lawmakers get to strategize with the president in attendance means that they stand a much better chance of crafting laws that will actually make it through Congress and get the Commander in Chief’s signature, not dying on Capitol Hill.

In addition to discussing the dismantling and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, Republicans will undoubtedly be talking about another of Trump’s campaign promises, reforming the United States’ tax code. Those changes might not come through until later this year, before Congress adjourns for its summer recess.