At Trump’s urging, House Republicans to vote on health care bill Friday

House leaders will bring up a plan to overhaul the nation's health-care system Friday at President Trump's behest, lawmakers said Thursday night, a high-risk gamble that will test whether he and House Speaker Paul Ryan can deliver on one of the GOP's central promises to the voters who placed Republicans in power. Lawmakers and White House officials continued to express confidence that the revisions to the Affordable Care Act would pass by week's end, and talks resumed soon after leaders announced the postponement .

Paul Ryan faces cliffhanger vote, with no pork to offer reluctant Republicans

The modern congressional whip operation shifted into high gear this week as House Republican leaders scrambled to find support for their plan to overhaul the health-care industry. But House Speaker Paul Ryan , R-Wis., does not have the tools that previous speakers once used to win over recalcitrants before cliffhanger votes.

Donald Trump issues ultimatum over Obamacare repeal

US President Donald Trump has demanded a make or break vote on a key healthcare bill in the House of Representatives, threatening to leave "Obamacare" in place and move on to other issues if Friday's vote fails. The risky move, which was considered part gamble and part threat, was presented to Republican politicians behind closed doors on Thursday night .

Trump’s Thursday: A postponed health-care vote, a big Republican embarrassment, a last hurrah

US President Donald Trump has failed to close the deal with Republican lawmakers on how to dismantle Obamacare, forcing the House of Representatives to delay a vote on a healthcare bill that was supposed to be his first legislative win. Andy Sullivan reports.

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GOP House leaders delayed their planned vote Thursday on a long-promised bill to repeal and replace "Obamacare," in a stinging setback for House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump in their first major legislative test. The decision came after Trump, who ran as a master dealmaker, failed to reach agreement with a bloc of rebellious conservatives.

Big black eye for Paul Ryan: House postpones vote on Obamacare repeal

In a major setback for Ryan and Trump, House is forced to delay ACHA vote amid scramble for more support The Republican rush to repeal Obamacare came to an abrupt halt on Thursday after negotiations between two different wings of the party stalled. As a result, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and his leadership team announced that they had canceled a vote on the American Health Care Act that was supposed to take place Thursday evening.

Trump, Ryan still short on votes to pass Obamacare repeal

With time running short, President Trump and House GOP leaders are desperately scrambling to find enough votes to pass their Obamacare repeal plan. Republicans have promised a Thursday vote on their bill to coincide with the 7th anniversary of Obamacare becoming law.

Wisconsin policy makers, advocates to discuss health care

Health care advocates in Wisconsin are gathering along with policy makers to discuss the proposed federal health care overhaul law as a vote nears in Congress. The House debate comes on the same day as a conference that's bringing together advocates who work with low-income and disabled people to find health care.

Lawmaker says U.S. foreign surveillance a unmaskeda Trump associates

The Republican chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence committee set off a political firestorm on Wednesday when he said the communications of members of Donald Trump's transition team were caught up in incidental surveillance targeting foreigners. Representative Devin Nunes said at a news conference that it was possible President Trump's own communications were also intercepted and disseminated among U.S. intelligence agencies.

Trump Talks Changes to Health Bill to Win Over Conservatives

The White House is talking with House conservatives about last-minute changes to the embattled GOP health-care bill aimed at wooing enough holdouts to secure House passage. Lawmakers and Trump administration officials are discussing revisions to "essential benefits" requirements in Obamacare, according to members of Congress and a White House official familiar with the discussions.

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 28, 2017.

He set off a mild firestorm early in the morning in a CNN interview when he conceded his party needed to do a better job selling its replacement to President Obama's 2010 health care overhaul and promised Americans they would be able to keep their current insurance plan and doctors. But those remarks were largely forgotten just hours later amid the continuing chaos surrounding the run-up toward a Thursday vote in the U.S. House.

Koch brothers donor network offers financial help for healthcare bill’s GOP defectors

A network of libertarian and conservative donors established by Charles and David Koch is offering a financial safety net to Republican lawmakers who choose to defy their party's leadership and vote against the GOP bill to replace Obamacare. Two groups, Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity, are offering a "seven-figure" fund to support dissenting Republicans in their 2018 re-election races, according to multiple reports Wednesday evening.

Repealing Obamacare could cost a poor family benefits worth a third of its income

From right, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., joined by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., and Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 21, 2017, after meeting with President Donald Trump who came to Capitol Hill to rally support among GOP lawmakers for the Republican health care overhaul. From right, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., joined by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., and Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 21, 2017, after meeting with President Donald Trump who came to Capitol Hill to rally support among GOP lawmakers for the Republican health care overhaul.

Trump Can’t Sell House GOP on Ryancare During Hill Visit

You might wonder how the president could get out of bed and head to Capitol Hill after the beating he took there on Monday at the hands of FBI Director James Comey . But roll out he did to make a big push for passage of the American Health Care Act , a bill he's not been all that enthusiastic about but which has become a test of his leadership.

Ryan’s legacy as speaker on line with health care vote

" The vote on the Republican health care bill is a defining moment for House Speaker Paul Ryan that could boost his aggressive agenda to overhaul the tax code and remake the federal government. If he fails? "It will be very hard to manage this," the Wisconsin Republican told reporters ahead of Thursday's likely vote.

Trump seeks health care triumph _ so he can move on

" President Donald Trump's pitch on a polarizing Republican health care bill in the House amounts to a means to an end: a way to move on to what he calls "the biggest tax cut since Ronald Reagan." Backed by pro-business elements of his party, Trump has increasingly argued that the repeal and replacement of former President Barack Obama's health care law is a necessary step along the road to other parts of his first-year agenda.

Beatitudes take a beating in DC

U.S. President Donald Trump waves with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., after attending a Friends of Ireland reception on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., March 16. Writing a weekly column means always worrying about finding a topic for the next one. The horror of staring at a blank document on the computer screen, while your mind remains as blank as that document, is one of the scariest moments in a writer's life.

Continue reading Trump undermines campaign promises by supporting GOP policies

One is its public face, epitomized by President Donald Trump's incessant tweeting and his zest for unprovoked criticism of everyone from political foes to longtime U.S. allies. Even many supporters question his refusal to transition from campaign to governing mode.