Pence takes White House health care pitch on the road

— -- Vice President Mike Pence hits the road today to pitch the Republican health care bill unveiled last week as the proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare.

Pence will visit Louisville, Kentucky where, joined by Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, he will meet with small business representatives and participate in listening sessions to discuss the president’s economic agenda and the future of the country’s health care laws, according to the vice president’s office.

The trip marks the beginning of a flurry of travel by Trump administration officials to make a sales pitch for the GOP health care law as a conservative rebellion from some on Capitol Hill and opposition from physician and hospital groups threatens the legislation’s fate.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the White House is “going to have a full-court press” to sell the bill as he previewed a potential tour from the president and other members of the administration to bring their message straight to the American people.

“I think you’ll see a lot of travel and a lot of activity by the president and all of the administration,” Spicer said. “This is going to be a very, very aggressive, comprehensive approach to making sure that every American understands and that there is a major problem and we’re here to fix it.”

The vice president has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, meeting with key conservative Republicans and the White House is already deep into its lobbying operation, including buttering up conservatives with invitations to bowl at the Harry S. Truman bowling alley in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building basement.

Spicer indicated that President Trump remains 100 percent behind the plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, telling reporters the president and the administration are “very proud of the product we have produced.”

“I think he’s in very much of a sell mode,” Spicer said. “The president and his team have worked very hard on this.”