WASHINGTON, DC (NBC News) – The White House is facing a new challenge after House Republicans failed to repeal Obamacare.
They passed roughly 60 bills over the past six years to do away with Obamacare, but that’s when they knew they’d go nowhere with a Democrat in the White House. When they had a chance to really do something about it on Friday, they failed to deliver.
On Saturday, the President’s eye appears to already be on his next target.
“I would say that we will probably start going very, very strongly for the big tax cuts and tax reform that will be next,” President Trump said.
The President may be eager to shake off a stunning defeat after all the campaigning, the negotiating and then the failure to fulfill one of his major campaign promises.
“We all learned a lot, we learned a lot about loyalty we learned a lot about the vote getting process,” the President said.
Some of that learning was delivered by the most conservative faction in the house known as the Freedom Caucus. Their home districts are Trump country.
“I’m not betrayed, they’re friends of mine,” Trump said when referring to them. “I’m disappointed because we could have had it, so I’m disappointed, I’m a little surprised to be honest with you.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan, who argued for weeks that this was the conservatives’ only chance to succeed on a promised repeal, appeared to keep his cool.
“Well, I don’t want to cast blame,” Ryan said. “There is a block of no votes that we had, that is why this didn’t pass.”
The President, who met with 120 lawmakers to win their support, distanced himself from any blame despite his own immediate repeal promises.
“I never said repeal it and replace it within 64 days, I have a long time,” the President said. “I think what’s going to happen is Obamacare unfortunately will explode. It’s going to have a very bad year.”
While Trump blames Democrats, they’re now celebrating a victory.
“A victory for the Affordable Care Act, more importantly for the American people,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said.
As for the former President, he had no comment.
Another factor that may have had bearing on the bill is a new poll out from Quinnipiac University that shows only 17 percent of Americans were in favor of the bill.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON-
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