WASHINGTON (CNN) — After more than seven years of campaign pledges — and 42 days since their initial effort failed in epic fashion — House Republicans have voted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
The bill now heads to the Senate where it faces daunting challenges because of the same ideological splits between conservative and moderate Republicans that nearly killed it in the House.
Trump will hold a celebratory news conference at the White House, and GOP lawmakers are expected to take buses from Capitol Hill after the vote.
Thursday marks a political milestone — one that has painfully eluded Trump and House leaders for months. The controversial health care bill delivered Trump the biggest political defeat of his short presidency in March, when the legislation had to be yanked from the House floor because it simply didn’t have enough support.
Under pressure from an antsy Trump looking to score a big political victory, Republican leaders tried again last week, hoping to to get to 216 votes ahead of the President’s symbolically important 100-day mark in office. That effort, too, failed.
Before the vote on the House floor, Ryan made the case that Republicans had no choice but to work to put Obamacare — what he called a “failing law” — behind them. “Let’s give people more choices and more control over their care.”
“Let’s return power from Washington to the states,” Ryan said.
“A lot of us have been waiting seven years to cast this vote.” Ryan said. Many lawmakers, he added are “here because they promised to cast this vote.”
