Indiana Republican says defeat will make tax reform harder, too
Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., a member of the House GOP leadership team, declared health care dead for the year. Moreover, he said, it will be harder to get tax reform done now in the wake of the GOP’s failure to pass its health proposal.
“It’s a sad day for America,” Messer said.
But Democrats rejoiced. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California called it “a victory for all Americans.”
“Democrats, united by our shared values, have stood strong against the disastrous TrumpCare bill,” she said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the bill failed because Trump couldn’t close the deal.
“They can’t write policy that actually makes sense, they can’t implement the policies they do manage to write, they can’t get their stories straight, and today we’ve learned that they can’t close a deal, and they can’t count votes,” Schumer said. “So much for the ‘Art of the Deal.’ ”
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus that helped kill the bill, said Republicans should not give up on getting rid of the Affordable Care Act. Many members of the caucus said the GOP leadership’s American Health Care Act did not go far enough in repealing Obamacare’s government mandates.
“Obamacare is a disaster, and repealing it remains one of my top priorities,” he said after the vote was canceled. “Now, House Republicans owe it to our constituents to immediately get back to the drawing board and bring forward a bolder effort to replace the failing Obamacare with a plan to reduce costs by increasing choice and competition.”
Lawmakers debated the bill on the House floor for more than five hours before Ryan made the decision to cancel the vote.
The debate began after the House Rules Committee adopted changes negotiated Thursday between Trump and House Republicans. Among other things, they would have eliminated minimum requirements for insurance plans to cover 10 “essential health benefits,” including maternity care, emergency room trips and prescription drugs.
The changes were offered in an attempt to attract Freedom Caucus support. But many of those caucus members remained unsatisfied, and the changes did not sit well with moderate Republicans.
Ryan had originally planned a vote for Thursday but put it off to provide more time to negotiate with the Freedom Caucus and the Tuesday Group, a moderate faction of House Republicans who feared the bill would make health care too costly for their their low-income and older constituents.
Trump, who negotiated directly with members of both groups, announced Thursday night that he was done talking and wanted the House to vote. Contributing: Paul Singer, Nicole Gaudiano, Craig Gilbert, Maureen Groppe and Donovan Slack
The fact that Trump’s all wasn’t enough to carry the day raises questions about his political clout and his personal brand as “the closer,” the best-selling author of The Art of the Deal who could negotiate compromises that eluded ordinary politicians. It leaves Republicans, finally in unified control of Washington, bitterly divided.
“I will not sugarcoat this,” Ryan said at a news conference called to announce he was pulling the bill. “This is a disappointing day for us.”
To be sure, Trump and congressional Republicans could regroup over the next few months on health care. The president predicted Democrats would reach out to negotiate a bipartisan bill as problems with the Affordable Care Act worsen. He expressed his readiness to move on to other issues, including a tax overhaul.
However, it’s not as though a major rewrite of the tax code will be easy, given the collision of wellfunded interest groups it involves. Or Trump’s commitment for a $1 trillion infrastructure bill, a proposal that puts him at odds with some fellow Republicans. And building that “big, beautiful wall” across the Southern border?
That’s not exactly a slam-dunk, either.
To remind: It’s just Day 64.