WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following the inability to gain the support of the Freedom Caucus, Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives delayed Friday’s scheduled vote on the American Health Care indefinitely.
The bill, endorsed by President Trump and shepherded by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), failed to gain the support of major conservative think tanks and donors because they believe it leaves several key elements of ObamaCare in place. The now-infamous the Koch brothers even promised to fund Republicans who voted no to the AHCA.
After the defeat, the White House announced that it will be moving on from repeal, and ObamaCare will remain the law of the land despite Republican majorities in both houses of Congress.
Reactions among Alabama’s members of the house have been mixed. Some Republicans expressed strong support for the leadership’s bill, while others criticized it as failing to fully fulfill their chief campaign promise of the last seven years.
“President Trump and Speaker Ryan worked hard to get this bill across the finish line, and I supported them 100 percent. But our efforts came up just short,” Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL1) said. “We must move on from this moment and continue working to solve the problems facing our nation. We are going to make America great again, and that requires us to work together for the good of everyone in our nation.”
Like Byrne, Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL2) was ready to vote yes on the House floor. “Today I was prepared to keep my promise and vote ‘yes,’ and I am disheartened that I did not have the chance to be a voice for the people I serve,” she said. “I fought hard for this bill, and I will continue to fight for those burdened by Obamacare.”
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL3) strongly stated his support for the bill and attacked conservatives demanding full repeal of the ACA, pejoratively referring to the Freedom Caucus as a radical group. “I continue to proudly stand with President Trump and fully support his efforts to deliver on the simple promise we made to the American people – to repeal Obamacare,” he said. “Americans are sick and tired of the dysfunction in Washington when far right-wing factions put their narrow interests above the will of the people that elected them,” Rogers continued.
On the other hand, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL5) had every intention of voting no because he did not think the AHCA functioned as a legitimate repeal and replace of Barack Obama’s single legislative victory. “As much as I would like to vote with many of my Republican colleagues in Congress and in the White House (most of whom privately tell me they dislike the bad policy in this bill), I will vote against the American Health Care Act because it has more bad policy than any bill I have ever faced,” he said. “I simply cannot, and will not, vote for bad legislation that hurts so many Americans solely because Washington friends and colleagues ask me to.”
Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL6) also thought leadership’s decision to pull the bill was the correct decision. “I believe pulling the bill from the House floor was the right call,” Palmer said. “The American people have suffered for the last 7 years under Obamacare, and I know we can provide them a better solution that will put healthcare decisions back in their hands, not in the hands of the Federal Government. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress and President Trump to do just that.”
This story will be updated as additional comments are received.
