President Donald Trump signaled disappointment at the White House on Tuesday that the Senate had failed to pass an Obamacare replacement plan.
“For seven years, I’ve been hearing repeal and replace from Congress. I’ve been hearing it loud and strong, and when we finally get a chance to repeal and replace, they don’t take advantage of it,” he said to reporters at the White House. “So that’s disappointing.”
Trump said he was willing to sign a healthcare bill and urged Congress to keep working.
“I’m sitting in the Oval Office, right next door, pen in hand, waiting to sign something, and I’ll be waiting,” he said.
Trump made his remarks during a lunch meeting with Afghanistan veterans at the White House and said that Obamacare was “dead” and a “total disaster.”
“I think we’re probably in that position where we’ll let Obamacare fail,” Trump said. “We’re not going to own it. I’m not going to own it. I can tell you the Republicans are not going to own it.”
Trump said he was “surprised” by Sen. Mike Lee and Sen. Jerry Moran’s opposition of the bill.
“I was very surprised when the two folks came out last night because we thought they were in fairly good shape, but they did,” he said. “You know, everybody has their own reason.”
Trump said he hoped Democrats would eventually agree to help fix health care after the country grew more frustrated with Obamacare.
“We’ll let Obamacare fail, and then the Democrats are going to come to us,” he said.
Trump did not mention any proposal for the Senate to vote on a simple Obamacare repeal, a solution he suggested Monday.
Republicans face growing anger from supporters for failing to keep their promise to repeal Obama’s signature healthcare legislation.
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