FORCING THE HAND

Trump Ultimatum to GOP: Pass Health Care or Else

As House GOP struggles to garner votes, the president says he’ll move on.

President Trump has urged a vote on the American Health Care Act on Friday after the vote was postponed Thursday due to a lack of sufficient support to pass it. According to The Washington Post, Trump delivered an ultimatum: Pass the bill or he will move on from the repeal-and-replace cause. House Speaker Paul Ryan will call the vote Friday after a series of negotiations took place with Trump and his aides on Thursday. At this stage, there are still not enough committed votes for the bill to pass and there are attempts to negotiate with conservatives to back the bill. Republicans came up with a proposed change to the measure Thursday evening that would eliminate the law’s “essential benefits” that insurers must offer under the Affordable Care Act. Those include mental-health treatment, wellness visits, and maternity and newborn care.