If he was so "clearly referring" to that, then why didn't he clearly SAY that?
Perhaps your perception leaves something to be desired. He used ordinary words whose meaning is known to the average person. Further, the reference was to what is known as a “touchback” program, a type of program which has been known since Senator Kay Bayley Hutheson referred to in and introduced a bill about it years ago, resulting in its being discussed a bit ever since.