Early Friday morning President Trump tweeted: "If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date!"
Why this tweet is extraordinary: It's literally the opposite of what then president-elect Trump told Paul Ryan after he won the election and shortly before Congress went into session. Part of the reason why the House GOP leadership didn't run with a clean repeal vote, as they'd done many times under President Obama, was because Trump had made it clear to Ryan he wouldn't sign the bill.
Behind Trump's tweet: He's frustrated, like every other Republican involved in the jammed-up health care negotiations. HHS Secretary Tom Price met with senior officials at the White House yesterday, and a source familiar with the meeting said the mood was far more negative than the day before.
In short, the moderate Republican senators aren't buying what Mitch McConnell is offering them. At least not yet. And the "goal" of striking a deal by today, to be scored completely over the recess, is now a fantasy.
What's next: Republicans will be happy with sending a few portions off to the CBO for scoring. And they're bucking up for a rough recess back home with frustrated constituents.
