On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order that would relieve the economic burden that Obamacare has caused, fulfilling a promise he made on the campaign trail.
Trump signed the order after signing documents that would allow Generals John Kelly and James Mattis to be sworn in.
Sitting in the Oval Office for the first time, Trump was directed by Chief of Staff Reince Preibus to sign the executive order that would minimize "the economic burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act pending repeal."
Trump promised Americans that on day one of taking office, he would ask Congress to immediately deliver a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
"Since March of 2010, the American people have had to suffer under the incredible economic burden of the Affordable Care Act—Obamacare," Trump said. "As it appears Obamacare is certain to collapse of its own weight, the damage done by the Democrats and President Obama, and abetted by the Supreme Court, will be difficult to repair unless the next president and a Republican congress lead the effort to bring much-needed free market reforms to the healthcare industry."
"It is not enough to simply repeal this terrible legislation," Trump said. "We will work with Congress to make sure we have a series of reforms ready for implementation that follow free market principles and that will restore economic freedom and certainty to everyone in this country."
Trump said that he is working on a replacement to Obamacare that will provide health coverage for all. The plan would replace most aspects of the Affordable Care Act and would offer lower deductibles and costs.
"We're going to have insurance for everybody," Trump said. "There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can't pay for it, you don't get it. That's not going to happen with us."
The House has already taken steps to get repeal underway, passing a budget resolution that would allow them to fast-track legislation to the president's desk as soon as possible.
"Our goal is a truly patient-centered system, which means more options to choose from, lower costs, and greater control over your coverage," said Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R., Wis.). "And as we work to get there, we will make sure there is a stable transition period so that people don’t have the rug pulled out from under them."
The nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services Rep. Tom Price (R., Ga.) echoed that sentiment, saying at his confirmation hearing that it is imperative that individuals have health coverage and have greater choices and opportunities to get the coverage they need.
"I think there’s been a lot of talk about individuals losing health care coverage—that is not our goal, nor is it our desire, nor is it our plan," Price said.