Priebus, Price facing blame after healthcare failure: report

Blame for the failure to get GOP support for ObamaCare repeal and replace legislation has increasingly fallen on White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and other top administration officials, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Three sources briefed on Trump’s recent discussions told the Times that the blame for the legislative failure has fallen on Priebus, who was in charge of coordinating an initial plan on ObamaCare repeal with Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price was also blamed for the failure, according to the report, while the president was reportedly annoyed with Jared Kushner, his adviser and son-in-law, who returned to Washington on Friday from a family skiing trip in Colorado.

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Two Republicans close to the White House also told the Times that Trump expressed annoyance that Kushner was absent during the vital discussions. A White House spokesman, however, denied that Trump was displeased with Kushner, according to CNN, which reported that Trump was “upset” by Kushner’s absence during the pivotal week.

Kushner had said for weeks he though supporting the GOP healthcare plan was a mistake, the Times reported Saturday, citing two people who had spoken with him.

Publicly, the president was quick to blame Democrats on Friday after Ryan pulled the GOP plan. Several dozen Republicans had publicly opposed the plan, and Trump asserted that Democrats now “own ObamaCare.”

The White House was also publicly supportive of Ryan’s efforts to rally support for the legislation, but West Wing aides told the Times they were “stunned” by the Speaker’s inability to master the politics of the GOP conference.