Rep. Tim Ryan not interested in helping GOP repeal ObamaCare

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Rep. Tim Ryan not interested in helping GOP repeal ObamaCare

Ohio Democrat weighs in on 'Your World'

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," March 28, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: Meanwhile, I want to go to Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio. He, of course, gained some fame for challenging Nancy Pelosi for the Democratic leadership. Didn't do too badly then. He joins us right now.

Congressman, would you be willing to work with Republicans on readdressing the health care thing, and to what degree?

REP. TIM RYAN, D-OHIO: Yes. Yes.

I think the president made a lot of promises during the election in Ohio about expanding Medicare, expanding Medicaid. I think we should offer up some alternatives for him to try to talk with us about. Bringing the Medicare program down to 50 or 55 years old would relieve a ton of pressure for those working-class people that he spoke to during the election.

We have been -- the Republicans have been defunding the insurance transfer, the risk corridor portion of the bill. Insurance companies can't make money in certain areas because it's too risky.

So, we were helping them be able to offer insurance in certain areas that were pretty risky. The Republicans started cutting that budget around 2014-2015. That's when you started to see the insurance companies pull out.

So, there's a couple ideas right there that I think we should be all in on.

CAVUTO: Congressman, are some of your Democratic colleagues worried, as the president was saying this went down in flames, or at least the Republican effort did, to repeal and replace it, that it is on them, that it is going to come back to bite them, and some of them don't want that popping up in next year's midterm election?

RYAN: Look, I know the president tries to steer blame in other places at times.

He's the president of the United States. He has a Republican House of Representatives, a Republican Senate. He could not get his own bill through the Republican House. You can't blame the Democrats for that.

Now, when we were in charge, we passed ours.

CAVUTO: But why would they want to work with him if they promised to repeal it? Now, let's say the Republicans stick to this goal, sir, to repeal this thing. Would you go along with that?

RYAN: Well, that's -- well, at some point, Neil, you have got to get away from the bumper sticker slogan that you were saying during the campaign and move on to governing.

And they have in the Freedom Caucus people who are not interesting in governing the country.

CAVUTO: So, repeal -- I'm sorry, Congressman. And I want to be clear. The repeal is not an option to you? If Republicans raise it, you're not going to be cooperating?

RYAN: Absolutely not. You can't repeal it. That doesn't make any sense. And I think many Republicans came to that conclusion, except for the 27 or 30 people in the Freedom Caucus, which ultimately led to the bill getting taken down and pulled from the floor. You have got to govern. No one is going to get -- no one is going to get their way 100 percent here.

CAVUTO: Right.

You know, switching gears like a crazy professor, if you will indulge me, many in your party, sir, have called for Devin Nunes to step down as the House Intelligence chief.

Are you in that camp, saying that he can't be deemed reliable, can't be deemed trustworthy -- that's what some of your Democratic colleagues have said -- because of these meetings at and near the White House?

RYAN: I know Devin. Devin is a good guy. I don't think he needs to step down.

He probably does need to recuse himself from this particular investigation. There's too much there at this point. So, I think the smart thing would -- for him to recuse himself from this particular investigation.

It has to have a lot of credibility. The gravity of what is being investigated is very, very important. So, I don't think he needs to step down. But he certainly does need to probably step aside in this particular case.

CAVUTO: All right, Congressman, thank you very, very much. Good seeing you.

RYAN: Thanks, Neil.

CAVUTO: Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio.

END

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