Rep. Brat Issues Statement on American Health Care Act

WASHINGTON, March 25 -- Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., issued the following statement on the American Health Care Act:

"Over the past few days, I joined with conservative colleagues in the House to negotiate in good faith and find common ground with President Trump and White House staff. Those discussions with the President were positive, constructive, and moved the legislation in the right direction. However, the initial construction of this bill kept the structure and architecture of Obamacare fully in place. Even my Democrat colleagues agreed this failed bill left much of Obamacare in place.

"For the good of our country, I want to see President Trump and his agenda succeed. With more time for deliberation, I believe we could have, and still can, get conservative health care reform that lowers costs and increases choice over the finish line. Productive solutions were well underway and could have been reached with a few more weeks of hard study and compromise - they may have even attracted some Democrats to the bill.

"My promise to my constituents remains the same: I will always follow my principles, work towards good policy, and listen to my constituents. That remains the case with my commitment to repeal Obamacare and find solutions to drive the cost of healthcare down. Health care is one-sixth of our economy and it is too big of an issue to rush through. On Friday, President Trump said Obamacare will fall apart and then we will be there with solution and an even better bill. I look forward to seeing his ideas and finding unity in our party so we can all work to accomplish real repeal."