Another big blow for Trump

Republicans in Congress face a mutiny over new health bill and call off vote to ditch Obamacare, delivering major legislative setback for the rookie president

IN the latest string of political stumbles and controversies for the nascent administration, US President Donald Trump suffered a stinging defeat in his first major legislative challenge as rebel Republican lawmakers shot down his effort to repeal Obamacare.

Barely two months into his term, Trump scrambled to achieve a crucial success to steady his already-listing presidency and was forced to withdraw an embattled Republican healthcare bill, moments before a vote, leaving his campaign pledge to dismantle his predecessor’s reforms unfulfilled.

They had been “very, very close” to securing enough support for the bill, Trump said in the Oval Office. But with no Democratic backing, “we couldn’t quite get there”.

Trump had thrown his full political weight behind the measure, spending days arm-twisting recalcitrant Republicans, and he declared himself “disappointed” and a “little surprised” by the defeat.

The battle was an eye-opening experience for Trump, a property tycoon who entered the White House with no experience in politics or government, including the delicate navigations of Congress.

And the bill’s defeat marked a second major policy setback for the new president, who has seen his attempt to curb travel from Muslim-majority countries twice frozen by the courts.

Instead of projecting humility, Trump went on the offensive on Friday, branding Democrats the real “losers” of the failed repeal bid because “now they own Obamacare. They own it, 100%.”

The president met House Speaker Paul Ryan earlier in the day, then spoke with him by phone when it was clear the party did not have the votes to get its plan across the finish line.

“I told him that the best thing I think to do is to pull this bill and he agreed with that decision,” Ryan said.

But while Trump was quick to blame Democrats for not giving “a single vote” for his plan, Ryan owned up to the failures.

“I will not sugar-coat this. This is a disappointing day for us,” said the top Republican in Congress.

Even as Trump expressed frustration, he said he was optimistic that his lieutenants would be able to craft an “even better” piece of healthcare legislation.

The Trump-backed plan, intended to expand free-market competition in the insurance industry and lower the cost of premiums for most Americans, would also have slashed public assistance to people who have no health coverage through their employer. Some 14 million people stood to lose their coverage starting next year, according to congressional forecasts.

Basic benefits covered under Obamacare — such as maternity care and emergency room visits — would no longer have been considered essential and required for insurers to provide.

An eye-opening experience for Trump, who has no experience in politics or government

The bill now appears dead, with Republican lawmakers urging a return to the drawing board.

“Clearly, the votes weren’t there,” said congressman Charlie Dent, one of several moderate House Republicans who expressed concerns over the bill’s impact on poor and elderly Americans.

“So I think it’s important now that we start over, and we do a durable, sustainable healthcare reform and it be done in a bipartisan way,” he said.

By pulling the bill, Ryan flew in the face of a White House that had declared negotiations over and demanded that a vote be taken on Friday.

Trump had put his reputation as a dealmaker on the line with the high-risk vote.

Congressman Mo Brooks, a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus that largely opposed the measure on the grounds that it was too similar to Obamacare, said he was “pleased as could be that the legislation has failed”, arguing that it would have been bad for Americans.

But he refused to place blame on the president, who failed to rally enough Republicans to his cause despite days of intense negotiations.

“I don’t think this reflects on the president in any way, shape or form,” Brooks said.

But some conservative centrists expressed frustration with recalcitrant hardliners.

“The House Freedom Caucus just single-handedly saved #Obamacare,” Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger charged on Twitter.

Passage of the bill would have