House leaders postponed a vote today on their plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system, as they struggled to meet demands of conservative lawmakers who say they cannot support the bill.
The Washington Post reports that earlier in the day conservative House Republicans had rebuffed an offer by President Donald Trump to strip a key set of mandates from the nation’s current health-care law, raising doubts about whether House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, had the votes to pass the bill.
Trump met at the White House with the most conservative House Republicans, hoping to close a deal that would help ensure passage of the plan, known as the American Health Care Act, by shifting it even further to the right. But the session ended with no clear resolution, and some lawmakers say they needed more concessions before they would back the bill.
Rep. Justin Amash, R-Michigan, when asked whether the White House had made its final negotiating offer, said if that’s the case, “They’re not going to pass the bill.”
Talks continued, however, and White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he still anticipated a vote on the measure by day’s end. Asked whether there was an alternative plan to the current bill, Spicer replied: “No. it’s going to pass. So that’s it.”
