But desperate lobbying by the White House and Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan was unable to round up the 216 votes needed for passage. We learned a lot about the vote-getting process," Trump told reporters at the White House, although he sought to shift the blame to the Democrats even though his party controls the White House, the House and the Senate. The White House made undoing Obamacare its top priority when Trump took office two months ago. But the White House and House leaders were unable to come up with a plan that satisfied the clashing interests of moderates and conservatives, despite Trump's vaunted image as a deal maker. Amid a chaotic scramble for votes, Ryan, who championed the bill, met with Trump at the White House.

Source: Egypt Independent March 24, 2017 23:15 UTC