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U.S. NEWS Saturday 25 March 2017
No repeal for ‘Obamacare’ _ a humiliating defeat for Trump

ERICA WERNER learned a lot about the
ALAN FRAM vote-getting process.”
Associated Press The Obama law was ap-
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a proved in 2010 with no Re-
humiliating failure, Presi- publican votes.
dent Donald Trump and Despite reports of backbit-
GOP leaders yanked their ing from administration of-
bill to repeal “Obamacare” ficials toward Ryan, Trump
off the House floor Friday said: “I like Speaker Ryan.
when it became clear it ... I think Paul really worked
would fail badly — after hard.”
seven years of nonstop rail- For his part, Ryan told re-
ing against the health care porters: “We came really
law. close today but we came
Democrats said Americans up short. ... This is a disap-
can “breathe a sigh of re- pointing day for us.” He
lief.” Trump said Obama’s said the president has “re-
law was imploding “and ally been fantastic.”
soon will explode.” But when asked how Re-
Thwarted by two factions publicans could face vot-
of fellow Republicans, ers after their failure to
from the center and far make good on years of
right, House Speaker Paul promises, Ryan quietly said:
Ryan said President Barack House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., announces that he is abruptly pulling the troubled Republican “It’s a really good question.
Obama’s health care law, health care overhaul bill off the House floor, short of votes and eager to avoid a humiliating defeat I wish I had a better answer
the GOP’s No. 1 target in for President Donald Trump and GOP leaders, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, March 24, 2017. for you.”q
the new Trump administra- (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
tion, will remain in place had repeatedly shouted
“for the foreseeable fu- during the presidential
ture.” campaign that it was go-
It was a stunning defeat for ing down “immediately.”
the new president after he The bill was withdrawn just
had demanded House Re- minutes before the House
publicans delay no longer vote was to occur, and
and vote on the legislation lawmaker said there were
Friday, pass or fail. no plans to revisit the issue.
His gamble failed. Instead Republicans will try to
Trump, who campaigned move ahead on other
as a master deal-mak- agenda items, including
er and claimed that he
alone could fix the nation’s overhauling the tax code,
health care system, saw his though the failure on the
ultimatum rejected by Re- health bill can only make
publican lawmakers who whatever comes next im-
made clear they answer to measurably harder.
their own voters, not to the Trump pinned the blame
president. on Democrats.
He had “never said repeal “With no Democrat sup-
and replace it in 64 days,” port we couldn’t quite
a dejected but still com- get there,” he told report-
bative Trump said at the ers in the Oval Office. “We
White House, though he learned about loyalty, we

Trump campaign chair offers to

talk with House panel on Russia

EILEEN SULLIVAN intelligence committee,
CHAD DAY Rep. Devin Nunes, on Fri-
Associated Press day announced the pros-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- pect of an interview with
dent Donald Trump’s for- Paul Manafort, and Nunes
mer campaign manager, a cancelled a previously
key figure in investigations scheduled public hearing
into the Trump campaign’s in which former Obama
ties to Russia, has volun- administration officials had
teered to be interviewed agreed to testify about
by lawmakers as part of an the Russia investigation.
increasingly partisan House Manafort also volunteered
probe of the Kremlin’s al- to be interviewed by the
leged meddling in the 2016 Senate intelligence com-
election. mittee, which is conduct-
The chairman of the House ing its own investigation.q