After nearly eight years of opposing the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, and promising to repeal and replace the law, it took Republicans less than three weeks to fumble their own alternative. While Republicans were unable to get on the same page, the White House has decided to direct the blame at Democrats, which Vice President Mike Pence continued over the weekend.
Pence's blame game
The American health care Act was supposed to be the big alternative to Obamacare, and House Speaker revealed the bill with confidence just over two weeks ago. Even President Donald Trump appeared proud to endorse the plan, with the two coming together to promote it in various ways. However, while backlash was expected from Democrats, it was the opposition from Republicans that caught the two party leaders by surprise. Dozens of Republican lawmakers, mostly in the right-wing Freedom Caucus, accused the bill of being "Obamacare lite" and not going far enough in removing government from the American health care system.
Democratic criticism came from the other direction, which was backed by the review from the Congressional Budget Office. Trump and Ryan were unable to get enough support within their own party, which forced the president to pull the bill before a vote could even take place on Friday afternoon. As reported by The Hill on March 25, Mike Pence is doubling down on Trump's previous rhetoric and blaming the Democrats for the bill's failure.
While speaking at a construction supply depot in Charleston, West Virginia on Saturday, Mike Pence deflected the blame of health care onto the Democrats. "Everyday Obamacare survives is another day that America suffers," Pence told those in attendance. "With 100 percent of House Democrats, every single one, and a handful of House Republicans actually standing in the way of President Trump’s plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare, we're back to the drawing board," he continued.
Trump's vow
Not stopping there, Mike Pence continued to rip into the Affordable Care Act. The vice president referred to the failed health care vote as a "victory for the status quo" and a "victory for the disaster of Obamacare." Pence's comments are similar in tone with what Donald Trump told reporters after the bill was pulled, and what he wrote in his Saturday morning tweet. Predicting that "ObamaCare will explode," the former host of "The Apprentice" vowed that he will "get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE."