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GOP Delays Healthcare Vote as President Trump Issues Ultimatum

HeadlineMar 24, 2017

It’s a showdown on Capitol Hill today. House Republican leaders called off a vote Thursday on a bill to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, after failing to win enough support from their party’s ranks to overcome Democratic opposition. The delay prompted President Trump to issue an ultimatum: Hold a vote Friday, or lose the opportunity to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan emerged from Thursday night talks with obstinate lawmakers, telling reporters in a terse statement he’d comply with Trump’s call for a Friday vote.

Speaker Paul Ryan: “For seven-and-a-half years, we have been promising the American people that we will repeal and replace this broken law because it’s collapsing and it’s failing families. And tomorrow we’re proceeding.”

House Speaker Ryan exited without answering questions about whether he believed Friday’s vote would succeed. At the White House, President Trump gathered members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus for negotiations, promising to roll back requirements that health insurers cover basic services, including mental health, mammograms, maternity and newborn care. The meeting was attended exclusively by men, prompting ridicule from Democrats, including Washington Senator Patty Murray, who tweeted a photo of the event with the caption, “A rare look inside the GOP’s women’s health caucus.” It’s unclear whether the bill has the support needed to pass today’s vote. More than 30 House Republicans have threatened a “no” vote, and the bill’s supporters can’t afford more than 21 Republican defections.

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