Lawmakers Went Out On Political Limb Only To Watch It Disintegrate Beneath Them
For Republicans who supported the American Health Care Act, 2018 may be a year of reckoning for their decision.
The New York Times:
Health Bill’s Failure Leaves Supporters In A Political Jam Back Home
They went to unusual, even dangerous lengths to support President Trump’s unpopular health care bill, facing down protesters at home and begging for special accommodation from House leaders in Washington. John Faso of New York negotiated a side deal for his state in exchange for backing it. Mike Coffman was the lone Colorado lawmaker to endorse the bill, while his Republican neighbors agonized and stalled. (Burns, 3/25)
Los Angeles Times:
Failure Of Their Healthcare Bill Leaves Republicans Running Obamacare. That Could Open The Way For Bipartisan Changes
Unable to kill the Affordable Care Act, Republicans may now have to fix it. The White House and even GOP members of Congress risk a huge political backlash if they allow the healthcare law to come apart, as President Trump has predicted it will. That leaves Republicans with a strong incentive to take steps to shore up Obamacare insurance markets, keep premiums in check and preserve consumer protections in a way that would be acceptable to both sides of the aisle in Congress. (Levey, 3/25)