Voting on new Healthcare bill to be held later today

Ever since his campaigning days, one of the biggest promises that President Donald Trump has made involves the repealing of the Affordable Care Act. After assuming the presidency he wasted no time in coming up with a legislation that will do away with former President Barack Obama’s biggest domestic achievement.

But is hasn’t been smooth sailing so far. The new legislature has faced opposition from all quarters from day one. Democrats have thrown up every obstacle that they could think of to stop the bill. Healthcare providers, hospitals and insurers have also made their discontent clear. Worst of all there seems to be a growing divide among the republicans themselves. A section believes that the new legislature is not radical enough and isn’t doing enough to overhaul healthcare, the other more moderate section is worried that it will hurt Americans. Though the Republicans have campaigned for repeal and replacement of Obamacare bill for years, now they find themselves divided.

Today the voting on the bill is expected to be held. The vote has massive significance politically, especially for Donald Trump whose presidency has been facing many problems. If the bill fails to get the necessary number of votes, it would be a serious blow to his credibility. President Trump is working hard to seal a deal with a crucial faction of conservatives that would ensure that the legislature goes ahead as planned. A win here will be a big upside for Trump as well as House Speaker Paul Ryan. This will be a significant boost to Trump’s image as the ultimate deal maker. But a failure would be crushing at this point. Not only will it open up a already beleaguered White House to fresh attacks, it will also call into question Trump and the GOP leaders’ capacity for pushing through important legislations.

Both Ryan and the President have been trying to persuade lawmakers, especially the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus to throw in their support. This section believes the American Health Care Act isn’t doing enough to eradicate the effects of the Affordable Care Act. But concessions made in order to persuade this group is making the moderate Republicans distance themselves from the bill. Already 23 House Republicans have made it clear that they will vote against the bill and 4 more are wavering in their support. Only hours before the voting, the fate of the bill is still hanging in the balance.

(Writing by Ananya Dutta; Editing by Mohith Agadi)