Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/803133
ByEricaWerner and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar TheAssociatedPress WASHINGTON GOP House leaders delayed their planned vote Thursday on a long-promised bill to re- peal and replace "Obam- acare," in a stinging set- back 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. Moderate-leaning Repub- lican lawmakers were also bailing on the legislation, leaving it short of votes. The bill could still come to a vote in coming days, but canceling Thursday's vote was a significant defeat. It came on the seven-year anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act, years that Republicans have de- voted to promising repeal. Those promises helped them keep control of the House and Senate and win the White House, but now, at the moment of truth, they are falling short. "No deal," House Free- dom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said after he and his group of more than two dozen re- bellious conservatives met with Trump to try to get more concessions to reduce requirements on insurance companies. The Republican legisla- tion would halt Obama's tax penalties against people who don't buy coverage and cut the federal-state Medic- aid program for low earn- ers, which the Obama stat- ute had expanded. It would provide tax credits to help people pay medical bills, though generally skimpier than Obama's statute pro- vides. It also would allow insurers to charge older Americans more and repeal tax boosts the law imposed on high-income people and health industry companies. The measure would also block federal payments to Planned Parenthood for a year, another stumbling block for GOP moderates. In a danger sign for Re- publicans, a Quinnipiac Uni- versitypollfoundthatpeople disapprove of the GOP legis- lationby56percentto17per- cent, with 26 percent unde- cided. Trump's handling of health care was viewed un- favorably by 6 in 10. The survey was con- ducted March 16 to 21 with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percent- age points. GOP leaders had tar- geted Thursday for the cli- mactic vote, in part because it marks the seventh anni- versary of Obama's sign- ing the measure into law. With the House in recess awaiting the outcome of the White House meeting, C-SPAN aired video of that signing ceremony. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., couldn't resist a dig. "You may be a great ne- gotiator," she said of Trump. "Rookie's error for bring- ing this up on a day when clearly you're not ready." In a count by The Asso- ciated Press, at least 30 Re- publicans said they opposed the bill, enough to defeat the measure. But the num- ber was in constant flux amid the eleventh-hour lob- bying. Including vacancies and expected absentees, the bill would be defeated if 23 Re- publicans join all Demo- crats in voting "no." Obama declared in a statement that "Amer- ica is stronger" because of the current law and Demo- crats must make sure "any changes will make our health care system better, not worse for hardwork- ing Americans." Trump tweeted to supporters, "Go with our plan! Call your Rep & let them know." Tension has been build- ing in advance of the crit- ical vote, and a late-night meeting of moderate-lean- ing members in Speaker Ry- an's office Wednesday broke up without resolution. CONGRESS Health bill vote delayed in House in setback to Trump By Julie Pace and Deb Riechmann The Associated Press WASHINGTON The House intelligence committee chairman privately apol- ogized to his Democratic colleagues on Thursday, yet publicly defended his decision to openly discuss and brief President Don- ald Trump on typically se- cret intercepts that he says swept up communications of the president's transition team in the final days of the Obama administration. GOP Rep. Devin Nunes' decision to disclose the in- formation before talking to committee members outraged Democrats and raised questions about the independence of the pan- el's probe of Russian inter- ference into the 2016 elec- tion and possible contacts between Trump associates and Russia. "It was a judgment call on my part," Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., told re- porters Thursday morning. "Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you make wrong decision." A congressional aide fa- miliar with Nunes' meet- ing said the chairman apologized to Democrats and pledged to work with them and share informa- tion related to the inves- tigation. "A credible investiga- tion cannot be conducted this way," said Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House panel. The White House quickly embraced Nunes' revelations and the presi- dent said they "somewhat" validated his wiretapping allegations. Nunes' critics also ques- tioned whether the Califor- nia congressman was co- ordinating with the White House in order to give the president cover for his ex- plosive claims that Barack Obama wire tapped Trump's New York sky- scraper. Nunes, who served on Trump's transition team, ducked questions about whether he was parroting information given to him by the White House, saying only that he was "not going to ever reveal sources." He maintained that Trump's explosive wiretapping al- legations against Obama were false. Trump spokesman Sean Spicer dismissed questions about whether the White House planted information with Nunes, saying "I be- lieve that the information he shared with the presi- dent was new." Some Democrats on the House intelligence commit- tee remained unconvinced. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., told reporters on Capitol Hill that she doesn't know where the information came from, but recalled a comment Trump made in a Fox News interview ear- lier this month where he said the White House "will be submitting things before the committee very soon that hasn't been submitted as of yet." Obama administration officials disputed the sug- gestion that the outgoing administration was im- properly monitoring its suc- cessors. SECRET INTERCEPTS Intel chairman apologizes to Democrats THE THE SATURDAY,APRIL1ST DOORS @ 8:30PM · SHOW @ 9:00PM $15 Advance · $20 At the Door Ticketpriceincludes$10freeslotplay,all-you-can-eattacobar, and beer tap takeover by Lassen Aleworks! GetyourticketsattheShastaCluboronTicketforce.combeforethey'regone! GOLF•LODGING•EVENTCENTER GAMING • DINING • EQUESTRIAN I-5ATLIBERALAVE•CORNING WWW.ROLLINGHILLSCASINO.COM FRIDAY,MARCH24,2017 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM |NEWS | 5 A