Trump's Warning to Republicans: Universal Healthcare Plan to be Voted on Friday

After the postponement of the House of Representatives' vote on the alternative to Obama's universal healthcare plan on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Republicans that the time for negotiation is over and that a vote on this plan must take place on Friday. According to Reuters, Chris Collins, a Republican representative and supporter of Donald Trump, stated that Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director, emphasized during a meeting with Republican representatives on Thursday evening that Mr. Trump believes the time for negotiation on this matter has ended and he now wants a vote on the plan. Chris Collins added that the President has stated he wants a vote on Friday, either for approval or rejection. Trump's efforts to gain agreement from Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives to support the alternative to Obama's healthcare law, known as 'Obamacare', did not succeed on Thursday, and the vote on this plan was postponed. According to Reuters, it was intended that on the seventh anniversary of the passage of Obama's healthcare law, this law would be repealed in the House of Representatives and replaced with a vote. However, despite Republicans holding a majority in the House, there are disagreements over the alternative plan to 'Obamacare'. Meanwhile, White House officials have also told Fox News that Donald Trump wants a vote on the healthcare plan on Friday. White House officials have stated that the U.S. President has warned Republicans in the House of Representatives that if they cannot pass the alternative to Obama's universal healthcare plan, he is prepared to abandon the healthcare plan and pursue another issue such as tax reform. In this context, Sean Spicer, the White House spokesman, stated in an interview with Fox News that the President will succeed in gaining Republican support. According to Reuters, several conservative Republicans believe that this plan, called the 'American Health Care Act', makes only superficial changes to 'Obamacare', which is insufficient, while moderate Republicans are concerned that passing this plan would result in millions of Americans losing their insurance. Previously, NPR reported that about 29 Republican lawmakers would vote negatively on this plan. Reuters states that the White House has warned that if this plan fails, there will be no alternative plan available. Max Medvedev, a Republican representative from North Carolina and a conservative figure, stated on Thursday, 'I am working hard to get a 'yes' from my Republican colleagues, and I believe the President is aware of these efforts. I personally informed him.' He added, 'We are trying to get this done.' Reuters reports that Donald Trump, the U.S. President, has been negotiating with both conservative and moderate Republican factions in the House of Representatives this week to secure their support for this plan. On Thursday, before the announcement of the vote's postponement, Trump told reporters that the vote would be close but he was optimistic. Mr. Trump added, 'I think we are doing very well. We will have the result in three hours.' However, moments after these statements, it was announced that the vote on the alternative to Obama's healthcare law had been postponed. During his campaign, Donald Trump promised to repeal 'Obamacare' as his first step. Republicans have repeatedly attempted to repeal or amend this law since its passage in 2010. Reuters notes that while Donald Trump currently holds power in the White House and Republicans also have a majority in the Senate and House of Representatives, it was expected that they would be able to easily pass the alternative plan. However, the Republican Party is facing challenges in securing the full support of all its members in Congress for the proposed plan to replace Barack Obama's universal healthcare law.