PAUL RYAN: 'Obamacare is the law of the land'

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Paul Ryan

House Speaker Paul Ryan, facing an embarrassing setback in his legislative push, said Friday that pulling the American Health Care Act from a floor was disappointing and that it meant Obamacare would remain "the law of the land" for the foreseeable future.

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"We came really close today but we came up short," Ryan said after House GOP leaders pulled the legislation, calling it a "disappointing day."

The GOP could not come to an agreement on the AHCA, with conservatives arguing that the bill did not go far enough while moderates disliked some of the AHCA provisions.

With it becoming apparent that they did not have the votes to pass the House, Ryan and President Donald Trump agreed to pull the bill shortly before the vote.

Ryan also said that Republicans will not try and overhaul the healthcare system anytime soon and Obamacare will stay in place for the time being.

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"Obamacare is the law of the land," said Ryan at a press conference on Friday shortly after the bill was pulled.

Trump also told The Washington Post's Robert Costa that he does not plan to being up the AHCA or healthcare again anytime soon.

Ryan also told reporters that the GOP will move onto other issues like tax reform, immigration, and trade.

"Now we are going to move on with the rest of our agenda because we have big, ambitious plan," Ryan said, though he did admit that the failure "makes tax reform more difficult" but "not impossible."

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