25 March,2017 09:05 AM IST | | Agencies
US Republican lawmakers struggling to overcome differences over new healthcare legislation confronted a stark choice after President Donald Trump delivered an ultimatum: pass the bill on Friday or keep Obamacare in place
Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump sits in the driver's seat of a semi-truck. Pic/AFP
Washington: US Republican lawmakers struggling to overcome differences over new healthcare legislation confronted a stark choice after President Donald Trump delivered an ultimatum: pass the bill on Friday or keep Obamacare in place.
Trump, a real estate magnate who touted his deal-making prowess in the 2016 presidential campaign, faced the first major test of how well his skills would translate in Congress. Days of negotiations failed to produce a deal amid opposition from moderates and conservatives in his own Republican Party, and it was far from clear the bill had enough support to pass.
The House of Representatives was set to vote late Friday afternoon on the Trump-backed bill to replace Democratic President Barack Obama's 2010 Affordable Care Act.
Democrats uniformly oppose the bill, and it appeared to lack the needed Republican support as well, despite last-minute changes intended to broaden its appeal. The American Health Care Act is the first foray into legislation for Trump.
