WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Speaker Paul Ryan announced the House of Representatives will not vote on the American Health Care Act. Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) released the following statement:

“The Republican Party Platform and the House’s Better Way agenda are both in agreement that Obamacare must be fully repealed and then replaced with free-market solutions. It is shameful that the House could not produce and pass a bill this week that reflected these commitments.  In fact, as we made progress toward those commitments, the current bill lost votes. Republicans must now go back to the drawing board, together, to formulate a plan that does what we promised and can garner broad Republican support. 

People often ask about my biggest surprise in Congress. Normally, my answer is that there are no whiteboards. Whiteboards are used to collaborate and solve problems. This setback shows that Republicans need more collaboration, not less. The path to this ‘binary choice’ with no amendments and an artificial deadline, driven by an anniversary rather than progress on the bill, have caused this pause. This delay must not be fatal to our commitment to solve the health care problem by honoring the promises Republicans have made in every election since 2010.

Despite this setback, I appreciate the willingness of President Donald Trump to work together throughout this process. I was stunned to see as we made progress toward repealing Obamacare’s one-size fits all approach, others lost their resolve. We are duty bound to honor the promises we made. The American people are counting on us to repeal Obamacare and enact policies that lower their health care costs. I remain hopeful that we can accomplish this mission.”