White House press secretary Josh Earnest expressed guarded optimism that the Supreme Court would rule in favor of same-sex marriage in an upcoming decision.
“We have seen a rapid change all across the country, and the country is waiting to see if the Supreme Court has changed too,” Earnest said.
Reflecting on Thursday’s Court decision upholding Obamacare, Earnest said it could be realistic for President Barack Obama to improve on the law if Republicans indicated a new willingness to tweak the law rather than attack it.
An afternoon after the Supreme Court handed the White House a victory by not scrapping the government subsidies at the heart of Obamacare, Earnest defended the law to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer as a courageous win in a battle that Earnest recognized wasn’t quite over.
“It will be realistic if Republicans abandon the strategy they’ve pursued for the last five years,” Earnest said of efforts to improve the law. “If you really are concerned about deficits in this country and trying to get our fiscal situation under control, that should make you a really strong advocate of the Affordable Care Act.”
Blitzer also asked Earnest for his read on the chances of American and Iranian negotiators striking a deal by June 30th. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz are prepared to travel to Vienna on Friday, Earnest said, to finalize the initial framework on a nuclear deal reached in April.
“It still remains to be seen if they’ll succeed,” Earnest said. “If Iran’s not willing to live up to their commitments, we won’t be able to get to a deal.”