Republicans tell Trump back off effort to kill Obamacare ….

The big picture: McCarthy is far from alone in his view. Multiple GOP sources — from the most conservative to the most moderate wing of the party — have told Axios that they can’t fathom why the president would want to re-litigate an issue that has been a clear loser for Republicans.

• A senior House Republican aide texted: “Members feel like [the Mueller report announcement] was great and Trump stepped all over that message with the Obamacare lawsuit announcement.”
• They’re also exasperated about Trump’s substance-free declaration that Republicans will become “The Party of Healthcare.” Republicans aren’t united on health care, and they have been unable to advance a replacement for the ACA.

Driving the news: The Justice Department changed its position Monday night in a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general.

• Those state officials want the courts to strike down the ACA’s individual mandate and throw out the rest of the law along with it. A district court judge agreed with them in December, ruling the entire law invalid.
• DOJ had been arguing that the courts should toss the mandate and protections for people with pre-existing conditions, while letting the rest of the law stand. But it now says it agrees with the lower court’s ruling striking down the entire ACA.

Why it matters: If DOJ gets its way, the ACA’s insurance exchanges and Medicaid expansion would vanish, stripping health care coverage from more than 20 million people. And the loss of unrelated ACA provisions would reverberate throughout the health care system…..