House GOP, Short Of Votes, Withdraws Health Care Bill
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald 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. He predicted the current law would soon collapse.
The president says he has a great relationship with the Republican Party and isn't going to speak badly about GOP lawmakers. Still, he said he was a little surprised by the bill's rejection from the conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus.
Trump also said he "never said repeal and replace it within 64 days," though he repeatedly promised during the campaign to do it on Day One of his term.
Speaker Paul Ryan says the collapse of the House Republican health care bill means former Obama's health care law will be around for the foreseeable future.
The Wisconsin Republican addressed reporters minutes after GOP leaders abruptly shelved the legislation, averted likely defeat for the bill. But it still dealt a damaging setback to Trump, Ryan and an entire party that has long said it wants to annul Obama's statute.
Ryan says pulling the bill was "a setback, no two ways about it."
The speaker is chiding Republicans who refused to back the legislation for being too inflexible. He says lawmakers must be "willing to give a little to get something done."
Many conservative and moderate Republicans opposed the legislation.
(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)