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| House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. reacts to a reporters question on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 23, 2017, following a Freedom Caucus meeting. GOP House leaders delayed their planned vote on a long-promised bill to repeal and replace "Obamacare," in a stinging setback for House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump in their first major legislative test. |
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- After seven years of fervent promises to repeal and replace
"Obamacare," President Donald Trump and GOP congressional leaders
buckled at a moment of truth Thursday, putting off a planned showdown
vote in a stinging setback for the young administration.
The
White House insisted the House vote would still happen - Friday morning
instead - but with opposition flowing from both strongly conservative
and moderate-leaning GOP lawmakers, that was far from assured.
The
delay was announced after Trump, who ran for president as a master
deal-maker, failed to close the deal with a group of fellow Republicans
in the first major legislative test of his presidency.
Still,
leaders of the conservative Freedom Caucus said they were continuing to
work with the White House late Thursday on their demands to limit the
requirements on insurance companies now in place under former President
Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act.
"
I can
tell you at this point we are trying to get another 30 to 40 votes that
are now in the 'no' category to 'yes.' Once we do that I think we can
move forward," said Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows of North
Carolina.
The figures quoted by Meadows were
startling since Republicans can lose only 22 votes in the face of united
Democratic opposition. A tally by The Associated Press counts at least
31 solid "no" votes.
Moderate-leaning
lawmakers were bailing, too, as the demands from conservatives pushed
them even further from being able to support the GOP bill. The
legislation would eliminate some of the requirements, taxes and
penalties from Obama's health care law, but also would mean millions
would lose their health insurance, older voters would pay higher
premiums and Medicaid coverage would shrink for many low-income voters
across the country.
GOP leaders planned to
meet into the night to figure out how to try to resuscitate the bill. At
the White House, Trump insisted just before the delay was announced
that "we have a great bill and I think we have a very good chance."
As
word trickled out that the vote was delayed, one reporter asked the
president for a reaction, and Trump just shrugged. White House press
secretary Sean Spicer had insisted earlier that Thursday's vote would
happen and the bill would be approved.
There was "no plan B," the White House said.
The
drama unfolded seven years to the day after Obama signed his landmark
law, an anniversary GOP leaders meant to celebrate with a vote to undo
the divisive legislation. "Obamacare" gave birth to the tea party
movement and helped Republicans win and keep control of Congress and
then take the White House.
Instead, the
anniversary turned into bitter irony for the GOP, as C-SPAN filled up
the time as the House recessed and lawmakers negotiated by playing
footage of Obama signing the Affordable Care Act.
"In
the final analysis, this bill falls short," GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera
Beutler of Washington state said in a statement Thursday as she became
the latest rank-and-file Republican, normally loyal to leadership, to
declare her opposition. "The difficulties this bill would create for
millions of children were left unaddressed," she said, citing the
unraveling of Medicaid.
The Republican
legislation would halt Obama's tax penalties against people who don't
buy coverage and cut the federal-state Medicaid program for low earners,
which the Obama statute had expanded. It would provide tax credits to
help people pay medical bills, though generally skimpier than Obama's
statute provides. It also would allow insurers to charge older Americans
more and repeal tax boosts the law imposed on high-income people and
health industry companies.
The measure would also block federal payments to Planned Parenthood for a year, another stumbling block for GOP moderates.
In
a danger sign for Republicans, a Quinnipiac University poll found that
people disapprove of the GOP legislation by 56 percent to 17 percent,
with 26 percent undecided. Trump's handling of health care was viewed
unfavorably by 6 in 10.
House Minority Leader
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who as speaker was Obama's crucial lieutenant in
passing the Democratic bill in the first place, couldn't resist a dig
at the GOP disarray.
"You may be a great
negotiator," she said of Trump. "Rookie's error for bringing this up on a
day when clearly you're not ready."
Obama
declared in a statement that "America is stronger" because of the
current law and said Democrats must make sure "any changes will make our
health care system better, not worse for hardworking Americans." Trump
tweeted to supporters, "Go with our plan! Call your Rep & let them
know."
Congressional leaders have increasingly
put the onus on the president to close the deal, seemingly seeking to
ensure that he takes ownership of the legislation - and with it,
ownership of defeat if that is the outcome.
Yet,
unlike Obama and Pelosi when they passed Obamacare, the Republicans had
failed to build an outside constituency or coalition to support their
bill. Instead, medical professionals, doctors and hospitals - major
employers in some districts - the AARP and other influential consumer
groups were nearly unanimously opposed. So were outside conservative
groups who argued the bill didn't go far enough. The Chamber of Commerce
was in favor.
Moderates were given pause by
projections of 24 million Americans losing coverage in a decade and
higher out-of-pocket costs for many low-income and older people, as
predicted by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. In an updated
analysis Thursday, the CBO said that late changes to the bill meant to
win over reluctant lawmakers would cut beneficial deficit reduction in
half, while failing to cover more people.
And,
House members were mindful that the bill, even if passed by the House,
faces a tough climb in the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
has made clear it will need to change to win the support needed to
pass.
