Poll: Republicans blame Congress, not Trump or Ryan, for ObamaCare failure

Republican voters are mostly blaming the failure of the GOP’s healthcare bill on Congress, instead of pointing the finger at President Trump or Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll out Wednesday.

Among Republicans in the survey, 26 percent blame the bill’s defeat on House Democrats, while another 23 percent say House Republicans are at fault. Only 13 percent blame Trump for the failure, and even fewer, 10 percent, say it’s Ryan’s fault.

Trump had previously blamed Democrats for blocking the measure, but at no point did leaders seek their support for the plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

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Ryan pulled the plug on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) last Friday amid near certainty that it did not have enough support among Republican lawmakers to pass, despite support from both the administration and GOP leadership.

The bill, which was opposed both by conservatives and some moderates, handed Trump the first major legislative defeat of his presidency and prompted the White House and Ryan to effectively shutter efforts to dismantle former President Obama’s signature healthcare law — a longstanding campaign promise of Republicans.

But Trump changed his tone on the matter on Tuesday, saying that he could reform healthcare “very quickly.” Ryan also expressed a desire to continue working on the issue, though no specifics on a new healthcare plan have been put forward.

Overall, nearly 50 percent of Americans want to see healthcare reform, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Republicans, however, were significantly more enthusiastic about that possibility than Democrats: 80 percent compared to just 25 percent.

The poll was conducted from March 25 to 28, in the days after the AHCA was defeated, and surveyed 1,332 people. Among them were 456 Republicans and 558 Democrats.