Texas politicians are reacting Friday after a vote on the Republicans' capstone health care overhaul was withdrawn when the GOP could not put together the support necessary for passage.
The move came after Speaker Paul Ryan weighed strategy at the White House with President Donald Trump. GOP lawmakers and aides said they lacked the votes to succeed in the House, just hours before a do-or-die showdown demanded by Trump.
In a statement released to NBC 5, U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, said:
"My constituents sent me to Washington to provide relief for hardworking American families who have been stuck with unaffordable coverage and fewer choices under Obamacare. I remain committed to that goal and look forward to fulfilling that promise."
U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, said:
"Today is a victory for the millions of people that would lose health coverage if the Affordable Care Act was to be repealed. With an outpouring of correspondence to Representatives and their staffs this week, the people have spoken firmly against this bill. Republican leadership rushed their healthcare bill to the floor without enough consideration for the lives of the people it would affect. I am pleased that the Affordable Care Act will stay in place, and promise to join my colleagues in opposing any bill that comes up in the future, should it be as disorganized and dangerous as this one."
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, said:
"After 61 votes, seven years of promising to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and a flurry of late night backroom deals, House Republicans still couldn't come together to even vote on their terrible replacement plan. President Trump's self-proclaimed master negotiation skills failed to deliver on the promises he made during the 2016 campaign. This ugly episode demonstrates that he is not a strong leader for Congressional Republicans. Seven years was more than enough time for different factions of the House Republican Caucus to create a viable replacement that actually delivers on their promises to lower costs and help Americans access better quality care. But instead, they tried to jam through a bill that alienated both moderate and right wing factions of their party.
"Luckily, their divided caucus allows the 20 million Americans who gained access to comprehensive health insurance under the Affordable Care Act to sleep peacefully, knowing that their health is not on the chopping block."
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Former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, told NBC 5:
"I think Paul Ryan said it best. He said this is not a good day, this is a failure, and we're going to learn from it and we're going to keep moving forward."
"It's very hard to pass major legislation, especially major legislation that has such an impact on people, on families, and on the economy," Hutchison said. "I wouldn't say that this is the end of it at all, but I think there will be a pause."
"I can't blame this on anyone, except that I think there was not enough time to bring people together to really get a strong consensus," she said.
