House Republicans told reporters late Thursday night that they would not take a vote on the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare on Friday, ensuring that Congress will not move forward on the legislation by President Donald Trump’s 100-day mark.
“We are not voting on health-care tomorrow,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters Thursday night, according to the Washington Post.
“We’re still educating members,” he added, per the Washington Post. “We’ve been making great progress. As soon as we have the votes, we’ll vote on it.”
Confirmation that House Republicans will not try to push a vote on the American Health Care Act on Friday makes it more likely that the House will be able to pass a stopgap funding measure before the federal government shuts down at the end of the day Friday. Democrats in the House and the Senate had been threatening to vote against a temporary spending bill if Republicans tried to quickly push the AHCA through the House on Friday.
McCarthy’s comments also indicate that House Republican leaders have not whipped enough votes to ensure the bill’s passage.
An amendment to the AHCA offered by moderate Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) brought additional conservative members on board with the Obamacare repeal bill and secured the official backing of the House Freedom Caucus. However, moderate Republicans in the House were skeptical of the amendment, and their opposition could keep the House from passing the bill.
Two key advocacy groups for the health care industry also came out against the amendment, which would allow states to apply for waivers from some Obamcare mandates.
Trump had pushed the House to revive its failed Obamacare repeal bill in the hopes that he could move a major piece of legislation within his first 100 days of office, but the President will not get his wish.
