Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was reportedly so set on persuading other members of Congress to pass his signature law, the American Health Care Act, that he got down on one knee to presumably beg for approval from fellow Republicans.
According to the Washington Post, Ryan even went so far as to bend down on one knee to beg Rep. Don Young (R-AK) for his support on the bill. Young, 83, is the longest-serving Republican in the House of Representatives. He was allegedly still unconvinced.
Ryan faces an uncertain fate as Speaker of the House after he was unable to get Republican support around his bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act. The negative backlash among conservatives in the House who refused to unite behind the bill caused Ryan to pull the bill from the House floor before a vote, realizing he did not have the votes to pass the measure.
President Donald Trump, who supported the legislation, tweeted early Sunday morning, "Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Ocare!"
Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Ocare!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 26, 2017
The Freedom Caucus insisted the plan did not combat costs, and even though it contained measures to defund Planned Parenthood, the caucus contended that the legislation still contained detrimental elements of Obamacare, like the elimination of pre-existing conditions and the penalization of health insurance buyers who waited to purchase insurance after they first became eligible.
Meanwhile, moderates like Young, along with Rep. Charlie Dent (R. Penn.) and his "Tuesday group" also opposed the bill, although in a quieter fashion than the Freedom Caucus.
