White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus has followed the lead of President Trump in putting part of the blame of the American Health Care Act's failure on conservatives.
When the AHCA failed to be voted upon on Friday, Trump initially put all of the blame on Democrats. But, come Sunday, he tweeted the following:
Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Ocare!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 26, 2017
On "Fox News Sunday," Priebus echoed that sentiment, accusing groups like the House Freedom Caucus of wanting an unrealistic, "perfect" solution to Obamacare.
"We can't be chasing the perfect all he time," he said. "Sometimes you have to take the good and put it in your pocket and take the win."
Yet, many conservatives could not view the AHCA as a win in any regard. The bill, many Freedom Caucus members noted, amended Obamacare but did not repeal it as they promised their constituents. By the final hours before the expected vote, upwards of 36 Republicans said they were "no"s. So, House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled it and solemnly announced we'd be stuck with Obamacare for the time being.
While the White House may be a bit bitter that conservative skeptics helped derail the AHCA, Priebus did admit that Trump will have to find common ground with groups like the Freedom Caucus to enforce his future policies.
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