House Republicans, Short Of Votes, Withdraw Health Care Bill
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Speaker Paul Ryan abruptly pulled the Republicans' troubled health care overhaul off the House floor.
"We're going to be living with Obamacare for the foreseeable future," the House Speaker said Friday.
The decision was a humiliating setback for President Donald Trump and congressional leaders.
The measure has been a top GOP priority and was the party's first major legislative effort since it took control of both the White House and Congress in January.
The legislation would repeal much of former President Barack Obama's 2010 health care law, including its requirement that people buy policies.
President Trump says the health care reform fell short because it lacked support from Democrats. "We were very close," Trump said.
He also predicted the Affordable Care Act would soon implode, forcing Democrats to join the Republicans at the negotiating table.
Trump says he would be willing to reopen negotiations for a health care bill with Democrats if the Affordable Care Act fails.
Trump told reporters Friday that he would be "open to it" if Democrats wanted to work on a bipartisan measure.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says of President Donald Trump and the majority Republicans in Congress: "Quite frankly I thought they might have accomplished something in the first few months. They have absolutely no record of accomplishment."
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