Cheat Sheet: Ryan unable to muster GOP support for ACHA

Those who are concerned about such things have already learned the fate of the American Health Care Act. Without a single vote cast in support or dissent of the bill, House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the legislation from the floor on Friday afternoon after realizing that the bill likely didn’t possess enough support to pass.

This was a momentous day in Washington D.C., conservative or liberal, as the repealing of Obamacare was one of the tenants of President Trump’s campaign.

However, with a vast majority of Congress held by the Republican party, it was the GOP who couldn’t get this bill to pass, which CNN notes as a demerit on Ryan’s political record.

“We came up short,” Ryan told reporters. “We are going to be living with Obamacare for the foreseeable future.”

Of course, the Democrats did not want to vote for the bill that would repeal what many call the greatest domestic achievement of Obama’s presidency. However, the members of the GOP who weren’t for the bill didn’t like it for numerous reasons, according to Politico.

The Freedom Caucus, which is a very conservative monetary body within Congress, fought against this legislation because it wasn’t conservative enough for their liking. In fact, North Carolina representative Mark Meadows said that he couldn’t vote for the bill because he promised his constituents something else.

“I promised the people of North Carolina’s 11th District that I would fight for a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act and a replacement with a market-driven approach that brings down costs and provides more choices for the American people,” said Meadows.

With liberals and far-right conservatives not on board, Ryan called Trump and suggested that the votes weren’t there, and the wisest approach would be to remove the bill from the floor.

Trump went on the defensive following the withdrawal, and he blamed the Democrats for the bill not passing, even though it’s the Republicans who own both chambers of Congress.

“We had no Democratic support,” said Trump. “They weren’t going to give us a single vote.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, member of the Democratic party, responded to the rescinded bill by taking a shot at the White House and all those involved in the writing and logistics of the AHCA.

“In my life, I have never seen an administration as incompetent as the one occupying the White House today,” said Schumer, the New York Democrat who spars often with Trump. “Today we’ve learned they can’t count votes and they can’t close a deal. So much for the art of the deal.”

Despite the name calling and blame passed to both sides, Trump has called for bi-partisan support in the future to make legislation that works for everyone.

“Both parties can get together…and have a better bill,” said Trump. “Having bipartisan would be a big, big improvement.”

According to Fortune, a Quinnipiac Poll in late March discovered that a mere 17 percent of Americans were pleased with the provisions in the AHCA compared with the 36 percent of Americans who were pleased with the ACA in December of 2009. Obviously, health care is a major cause for concern for both parties, and it appears that many things still need to be figured out.

Now what?

According to CNN, the GOP is now looking beyond healthcare and will be focusing its efforts on tax reform, which by most accounts, will also not be a simple task.