Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick received praise from an unwelcome place Thursday: the White House.
President Obama’s chief spokesman, Josh Earnest, lauded Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) for deciding to expand Medicaid in his state under ObamaCare.
{mosads}“I know that Governor Pence did do some important work with the administration to expand Medicaid in his state,” Earnest told reporters when asked what Obama thinks of the governor. “That’s something President Obama has been encouraging Democratic and Republican governors across the country to do.”
The spokesman added, however, that he would “leave it to the individual candidates to determine who they believe would best complement their skills and could lead their party.”
Earnest singled Pence out just after reports emerged that Trump planned to add him to the Republican ticket.
Pence is likely to face scrutiny over his decision to accept federal dollars to expand health insurance coverage for low-income families.
In January of last year, he became the ninth GOP governor to reach a deal with the administration to expand Medicaid, after most refused.
But Pence put a conservative twist on the expansion by making participants pay a monthly premium to offset costs. The plan, known as Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0, has earned praise from some Republicans.
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