After an earlier iteration of the House healthcare bill was pulled from the floor for lack of support, I excoriated Republicans, calling their failure to repeal and replace Obamacare, the “biggest broken promise in political history.”
So, now that Republicans have managed to scrap together enough votes to squeeze a healthcare bill through the House, does that change what I wrote? The short answer is, it’s complicated. Clearly, Republicans didn’t give up on the cause of repeal and replace after just a few weeks and move on to tax reform, as President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan declared they were going to do after the first vote was pulled. So, that part of my criticism is no longer valid. For this, it’s worth giving a lot of credit to the House Freedom Caucus, who in the past have been portrayed in saboteurs, but in this case played a productive role in keeping negotiations moving and shaping the bill – clearly stating their goals, and demonstrating a willingness to compromise to get a deal.
