Vote now scheduled to begin at about 3:30 p.m.
By Mike DeBonis, Kelsey Snell and Ed O'Keefe March 24 at 1:32 PM
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) visited White House at midday Friday to brief President Trump on an overhaul of the nation’s health-care system, amid mounting evidence that enough House Republicans would spurn their pitches and send the bill to defeat.
Ryan was prepared to tell Trump there are not enough votes to pass the legislation, two GOP aides familiar with his plans said. It was unclear whether leaders would proceed with a planned afternoon vote. As Ryan met with Trump at the White House at 1:30 p.m., Press Secretary Sean Spicer said during his daily briefing that a vote would proceed at 3:30 p.m.
A House GOP aide confirmed the expected timing of a vote.
If the bill does not pass Friday, a day after Trump delivered an ultimatum to lawmakers, it would represent multiple failures for the new president and the Republican Congress.
It would leave the Affordable Care Act in place and leave a major GOP campaign promise unfulfilled. It would cast doubt on the GOP’s ability to govern and specifically to move forward on other high-stakes agenda items, such as tax reform and infrastructure spending. And it would undermine Trump’s image as a skilled dealmaker willing to strike compromises to push his agenda forward.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-leaders-prepare-to-vote-friday-on-health-care-reform/2017/03/24/736f1cd6-1081-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html?utm_term=.469f7109e8eb&wpisrc=al_alert-COMBO-politics%252Bnation&wpmk=1
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