Warner weekly wrap up: cleanup in aisle three

CLEANUP IN AISLE THREE

After seven years of consistent opposition to the Affordable Care Act, and a week of public political horse-trading over Trumpcare, House Republican leaders and the White House blinked at the last minute and did not hold a vote Friday on their replacement plan. Even after making changes in an effort to win votes from members of the very conservative Freedom Caucus, Trumpcare 2.0 still stripped healthcare coverage from 24 million Americans.

Senators Warner and Tim Kaine joined together in a conference call with Virginia hospital executives this week to discuss the negative impact of the GOP Trumpcare plan on health care in Virginia: 232,000 Virginians would have lost health coverage, and Virginia hospitals would have seen $209 million in uncompensated care by 2018. In addition, the House Republican proposal slashed Medicaid coverage for kids, the disabled and the poor, and it undermined Medicare.

WELL THIS IS AWKWARD

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes privately apologized to his colleagues after his unilateral decision to brief President Trump on alleged intelligence intercepts related to a probe of Russian interference in the election. That twist in the story represented the week’s most bizarre zigzag in the investigations involving Trump, his aides, Russia and the election.

The White House claimed Nunes’ pronouncement provided at least partial vindication for criticism over President Trump’s March 4^th tweet alleging the Obama Administration wiretapped Trump Tower. Senator Warner, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called Rep. Nunes’ conduct “pretty inappropriate.” Warner said the Senate committee would continue working in a bipartisan, honest and transparent way.

“On the Senate side of the Capitol, members of both parties expressed hope that the Senate Intelligence Committee could avoid the drama plaguing its House counterpart,” wrote The Wall Street Journal. “The committee will hold its first hearing into the Russia issue next week, and both Republicans and Democrats lauded that chamber’s bipartisan cooperation so far.

“Sen. James Lankford (R., Okla.), appeared to rebuke Mr. Nunes for briefing the White House before fellow members of the committee, adding that the Senate panel aimed to do its work independently.

“Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.), who is also a member of the Intelligence Committee, said that so far she had much more confidence in the Senate probe than the House one—praising the bipartisan leadership of the committee.”

WATCH: Senator Warner on Hardball with Chris Matthews, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, CNN’s Outfront with Erin Burnett and The 11th Hour with Brian Williams.

DVR ALERT: Senator Warner will appear on NBC’s Meet the Press with Chuck Todd on Sunday. The show airs at 9:00 AM in the Richmond, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Bristol and Norfolk media markets, and at 10:30 AM in Northern Virginia/DC.

MODERNIZING V-A APPEALS

Senators Warner and Kaine joined other senators in introducing legislation intended to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs’ appeals process. The VA has more than 450,000 veterans waiting to hear about an appeal, and the average appeal takes up to 5 years to resolve.

TRIBAL RECOGNITION

For the fifth time since he joined the Senate in 2009, Senator Warner has introduced legislation that would grant federal recognition to six Virginia Indian tribes. It would grant the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock, the Monacan, and the Nansemond tribes legal standing and access to services that come along with it.

“Four hundred years after the death of Pocahontas, our country continues to do a disservice to her descendants by failing to recognize the major role Virginia’s tribes have played in American history and the fabric of our nation,” Senator Warner said.

RETIREMENT TOOLS

Four out of five small businesses do not offer employees access to a retirement savings plan, and part of the reason is the red tape involved. Senator Warner has partnered with Maine GOP Senator Susan Collins on legislation that seeks to streamline the filing process for smaller companies that want to offer retirement plans to workers.

WEEK AHEAD

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow previews the upcoming Intel Committee hearing.

On Thursday, Senator Warner will co-chair the first public hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee into Russian interference in the U.S. election. Witnesses will explore the characteristics of Moscow’s propaganda campaigns, and a second panel will explore the increased role of cyber in Russian disinformation and misinformation efforts.

Senator Warner also will introduce legislation next week to help young people better navigate their student debt. One proposal makes income-based repayment a default option for federal student loan borrowers, and a second would allow employers to help employees with student loan debt using pre-tax income.