Ryan foresees ‘bloodbath’ if GOP fails to pass healthcare legislation

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Sunday said he agrees with President Trump that 2018 will be a “bloodbath” for Republicans if Congress does not pass legislation repealing and replacing ObamaCare.

“I do believe that if we don’t keep our word to the people who sent us here, yeah,” Ryan told CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” when asked if he agreed with Trump’s reported comments about the 2018 midterm elections.

According to a CNN report last week, Trump told Republican House members in a meeting that 2018 would be a “bloodbath” if they fail to pass healthcare legislation. 

{mosads}Ryan, who used a PowerPoint presentation to defend the House proposals last week, said during the CBS interview that members of Congress are “breaking your word” if they don’t keep campaign promises.

“Look. The most important thing for a person like myself who runs for office and tells the people we’re asking to hire us, ‘This is what I’ll do if I get elected.’ And then if you don’t do that, you’re breaking your word,” he said.

Trump promised throughout his presidential campaign to repeal and replace ObamaCare, as did Republican members of Congress.

Trump has endorsed the healthcare plan put forward by House Republicans, with press secretary Sean Spicer saying on Saturday that he thinks the bills will pass through Congress.