Finally, a good day for Republicans.
Nearly four months into the era of Trump, Republicans gave weary supporters reason to think there’s still hope for the bold promises of Campaign 2016.
With a House vote Thursday to repeal Barack Obama’s health care law, the party showed it could pick up the pieces after a humiliating failure six weeks ago and demonstrated the first flicker of signs that it may be able to find consensus within its divided ranks.
The momentum appeared to carry over beyond health care. The House vote came hours after Trump signed an order to promote religious expression. GOP legislators moved closer to rolling back Obama-era financial regulations. The Senate approved a spending bill averting a government shutdown that would have been disastrous for the party with a monopoly on power.
But the hunger for a win may have come at a cost. House Republicans pushed through the health care bill with only a vote to spare and no Democratic support, reminiscent of the passage of the so-called Obamacare law it unraveled. The bill’s fate is uncertain in the Senate, which is sure to change it. Democrats quickly served notice they would hold Republicans accountable for what they predicted could be a disastrous impact on some of the sickest Americans.
But for one day, at least, Republicans decided to celebrate. Immediately after the health-care vote, House Republicans piled onto buses and headed to the White House for a sun-splashed Rose Garden celebration, a rare event for a bill that has cleared only one chamber of Congress.
The event was a sign of how badly they needed the boost. Trump’s travel ban executive orders have been blocked in the courts, investigations into his campaign’s contacts with Russians have been a big and ongoing distraction, and he’s had to put off action on a wall at the Mexican border for now. Trump’s first push for the long-promised health care repeal ended without a vote and with talk of moving on to a tax overhaul plan, a startling admission of defeat on a campaign promise that has animated his party for seven years.
Princeton historian Julian Zelizer said the day’s development will help steel Republicans for battles ahead.
