Trump will honour vow to change health plan — Pence

Vice-President Mike Pence said that President Donald Trump intends to keep his promise to overhaul the Affordable Care Act, pledging that the legislation’s collapse on Friday was a setback that “won’t last very long”.

“President Trump is never going to stop fighting to keep his promises to the American people,” Pence said during an appearance in Scott Depot, West Virginia, where he blamed Democrats and “a handful of Republicans” for standing in the president’s way.

House Republican leaders pulled the bill on Friday that they had unveiled just 18 days earlier after it became clear that there was not enough buy-in from both conservative and moderate lawmakers in the party.

Although the bill’s defeat has widely been seen as a major setback for Trump, who’s repeatedly touted his own negotiating skills, Pence praised the president’s lobbying efforts.

“You saw his resolve, to work with whoever he needed to work with, to call whoever he needed to call, to get our plan across the finish line this week on Capitol Hill,” Pence said.

“I’ve got to tell you, I was inspired by President Trump’s determination and commitment to keep his promise to the American people.”

Pence said that he and Trump were grateful to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Republican Wisconson, and other House Republicans who were prepared to vote for the bill.

“But as we all learned yesterday, Congress just wasn’t ready,” Pence said. “You saw it. With 100 per cent of House Democrats — every single one — and a handful of Republicans actually standing in the way of President Trump’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, we’re back to the drawing board.”