Trump Concedes Defeat On Plan For Obamacare annulation

CAPITOL HILL — 

One extra day could not buy President Donald Trump and his Republican Congress the first major legislative victory they needed to set the tone for the new administration.

Republicans canceled a crucial health care bill vote at the last minute Friday rather than lose a battle of numbers on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The cancellation followed a chaotic Thursday when the leadership postponed a vote in the hope that 24 more hours could win a long-promised repeal and replacement of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. 

Ryan delivered the news

House Speaker Paul Ryan rallied his splintered Republican Party during an emergency meeting in the depths of the Capitol after delivering the bad news in person to Trump at the White House.

The once-certain health care bill victory threw into question the rest of the Republican agenda addressing tax reform, government spending and infrastructure funding. Even though Republicans control both houses of Congress and the White House, the reactions of members leaving the meeting gave varying clues on how the party moves forward.

A grim-faced Mark Meadows, chair of the House Freedom Caucus, offered no comment as he left the meeting led by Ryan. The conservative caucus helped bring down the Speaker’s bill, suggesting it was too close in form to the so-called Obamacare.

Other members looked visibly uncomfortable with questions about the next steps for Republicans.

“It’s unchartered territory, but it certainly doesn’t bode well as our first attempt out of the box to govern,” said Congressman Tom Rooney, a Republican from Florida. “We’re in power and we have the ability to do things and we’re not doing it.”

Tense moments

Many Republicans leaving the meeting said they had no issue with Ryan’s leadership after the vote cancellation.

VOA