[NewJerseyJoe]

Someone better versed in this, correct me if necessary — but isn’t this something that Trump could do unilaterally, by executive order? Because it is not creation of law (which is the purview of Congress), but rather modifies the application/execution of existing law (which is the job of the Executive branch).

[Reily]

Someone made the comment that such an EO violates “separation of powers”. It probably does since the Constitution specifically empowers Congress to make its own rule.

[sheana]

More or less.....yes. It was mandated that Congress use Obamacare. Oops! That means they’d lose their taxpayer paid health insurance. Let’s see....what to do? Give them big enough raises to cover the costs? Bad optics! Have the Office of Personnell Managment declare them a small business so the taxpayers will still pay on average 72% of the costs on the Washington DC small business exchange? Bingo!
Trump and the Head of HHS could more or less make Obamacare null and void if they wanted to.

[true believer forever]

Someone better versed in this, correct me if necessary — but isn’t this something that Trump could do unilaterally, by executive order? Because it is not creation of law (which is the purview of Congress), but rather modifies the application/execution of existing law (which is the job of the Executive branch).

The petition is for an executive order from Trump to do that...